← Critical Product/Equipment/Process: Metals, Mining & Materials (all topics)
Electrominerals (silicon carbide, fused alumina, zirconia)
What it is
The abrasive grains themselves - silicon carbide, fused alumina and zirconia alumina - produced in electric arc furnaces at very high temperatures. They are both an input to abrasive products and a saleable product for refractories, ceramics and metallurgical use
Production is extremely power-intensive
Impact on industries
- Backward integration into grain secures the primary input and adds a merchant business selling into refractories and ceramics
- Diversifies the customer base beyond abrasives, since the same grain serves refractory, ceramic and metallurgical markets
- Power is the dominant cost, so competitiveness depends on tariffs and captive generation rather than on process efficiency
- Chinese silicon carbide overcapacity is pressuring the market globally, capping prices for merchant grain producers