​The SELISI project is funded by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) and is supported by the Knowledge and Innovation Communities Raw Materials (KIC RM) in the category: Increased resource efficiency in mineral and metallurgical processes.

The project aims at recovering the silicon powder (kerf) that comes from diamond wire wafering in the photovoltaic industry to produce silicon grades that can be used as raw materials in the Si-based ceramic and photovoltaic industries.

To cope with economic and technical challenges related to the characteristics of the kerf (especially small particles size and contamination in metals and light elements), innovative, low cost, technologies and processes are developed by the project partners.

The consortium gathers the expertise of CEA INES specialized in solar energy, ReSiTec, a Norwegian company, and ECM Greentech, a manufacturer of crystallization furnaces.

​CEA is in charge of:

• - Project coordination
  - Development of a new cutting process which eases the recycling
  - Solidification of recycled kerf at lab (100 g) and pilot (60 kg) scale

ReSiTec is responsible for:

- Obtaining Si kerf from industrial sources
- Handling and processing of kerf containing slurries and powdered wet/dry kerf
- Purification of kerf from 1N to 3-4N by chemical and thermal processes at lab (100 g) to industrial (1000 kg) scale
- Health, Environment and Safety issues

ECM Greentech is responsible for:

- Development of processes to efficiently transform Si-kerf feedstock into Solar grade silicon
- Handling and processing of Si kerf in optimized DSS furnaces
- Solidification of recycled kerf at industrial (800 kg) scale

The market survey and go-to-market strategy are conducted by the French consulting company Erdyn, subcontractor of CEA.