CHARACTERISTICS OF SHUNGITE ROCK FOR USE IN ALLOY PRODUCTION PROCESSES

The natural composite material shungite, which has a complex mineral composition, is considered. One of the main components of the mineral component of shungite rocks of different groups is silica. Shungite carbon is evenly distributed in a silicate framework of finely dispersed quartz crystals. Shungite can be used as a raw material for smelting silicomanganese and ferrosilicon. The content of highly active carbon and silica in a ratio close to the stoichiometric one for the reaction of silicon reduction by carbon contributes to almost complete reduction of silicon from this material. Assuming that the shungite rock is a Si-C-O system, thermodynamic calculations of the composition of the equilibrium gas phase for the temperature range of 1300-2300 K were performed. The results of calculations of the equilibrium composition of the gas phase in the Si-C-O system at P = 1 atm showed that the minimum temperature of the formation of condensed silicon carbide (β-SiC) is 1756 K.