BROKEN HILL, ʻAukekulelia – Iulai 7, 2025– Ma ka hohonu o ke kuaʻāina wela o New South Wales, ke nānā pono nei ke kanaka ʻepekema honua ʻo Sarah Chen i kahi hāpana ʻiʻo i māhele hou ʻia. ʻĀlohilohi ka pōhaku, kokoke e like me ke aniani, me kahi ʻano kō ʻokoʻa. "ʻO ia ka mea maikaʻi," i ʻōhumu ai ʻo ia, me kahi ʻoluʻolu e ʻoki ana i ka lepo. "99.3% SiO₂. Hiki i kēia aʻa ke holo no nā kilomita." ʻAʻole ʻo Chen e ʻimi ana i ke gula a i ʻole nā mea kanu laha ʻole; ke ʻimi nei ʻo ia i kahi mineral ʻoihana koʻikoʻi, akā naʻe i nānā pinepine ʻole ʻia: ka maʻemaʻe kiʻekiʻepōhaku silica, ke kahua paʻa o ko kākou au ʻenehana.
ʻOi aku ma mua o ke one wale nō
I kapa pinepine ʻia ʻo quartzite a i ʻole ke one pōhaku maʻemaʻe loa, he pōhaku kūlohelohe ka pōhaku silica i haku ʻia me ka silicon dioxide (SiO₂). ʻOiai ke loaʻa nei ka nānā nui ʻia i ke one silica, ʻo ke one kiʻekiʻe ke kumupōhaku silicaHāʻawi nā waihona i nā pono kūikawā: ʻoi aku ka paʻa o ka ʻāina, ka haʻahaʻa o nā haumia, a, i kekahi mau hihia, nā nui nui i kūpono no nā hana mining nui a lōʻihi. ʻAʻole ia he mea nani, akā he mea nui kona kuleana.
"Ke holo nei ke ao hou ma luna o ka silicon," wahi a Kauka Arjun Patel, he ʻepekema mea ma ka Singapore Institute of Technology. "Mai ka chip i loko o kāu kelepona a hiki i ka panela solar ma luna o kou hale, ke aniani i loko o kou puka makani, a me ke kaula fiber optic e hāʻawi ana i kēia nūhou - hoʻomaka nā mea āpau me ka silicon ultra-pure. A ʻo ka mea mua kūpono loa a kūpono hoʻi no kēlā silicon, ʻo ia ka pōhaku silica kiʻekiʻe. Me ka ʻole o ia mea, e pau ka ʻenehana holoʻokoʻa a me ka ikehu ʻōmaʻomaʻo."
ʻO ka Holo Honua: Nā Kumu a me nā Pilikia
ʻO ka ʻimi ʻana no ka uku nuipōhaku silicake piʻi nui nei ma ka honua holoʻokoʻa. Loaʻa nā waihona koʻikoʻi ma:
Nuhōlani:ʻO nā wahi e like me Broken Hill a me Pilbara e haʻaheo nei i nā ʻano quartzite kahiko nui, i mahalo ʻia no ko lākou kūlike a me ka haʻahaʻa o ka hao. Ke hoʻonui wikiwiki nei nā ʻoihana e like me Australian Silica Quartz Ltd. (ASQ) i kā lākou hana.
ʻAmelika Hui Pū ʻIa:Aia nā mauna ʻo Appalachian, ʻoiai nā wahi ma West Virginia a me Pennsylvania, he nui nā kumuwaiwai quartzite. Ua hoʻolaha koke aku nei ʻo Spruce Ridge Resources Ltd. i nā hopena hoʻāʻo hoʻohiki mai kā lākou papahana hae ma West Virginia, e hōʻike ana i kona hiki ke hana i ka silicon solar-grade.
Palakila:ʻO nā waihona quartzite waiwai ma ka mokuʻāina ʻo Minas Gerais kekahi kumu nui, ʻoiai ke pilikia nei nā pilikia o ke kahua i ka hana ʻana.
Scandinavia:Loaʻa iā Norewai a me Suedena nā waihona kālā kiʻekiʻe, i makemake ʻia e nā mea hana ʻenehana ʻEulopa no nā kaulahao lako pōkole a hilinaʻi hoʻi.
Kina:ʻOiai he mea hana nui, ke hopohopo nei nā hopohopo e pili ana i nā kūlana kaiapuni a me ke kūlike o nā pae maʻemaʻe mai kekahi mau lua liʻiliʻi, e hoʻoikaika ana i nā mea kūʻai aku honua e ʻimi i nā kumu ʻē aʻe.
"He ikaika ka hoʻokūkū," wahi a Lars Bjornson, Luna Nui o Nordic Silica Minerals. "He ʻumi makahiki i hala aku nei, he waiwai nui ka silica. I kēia lā, ua paʻa loa nā kikoʻī. ʻAʻole mākou e kūʻai wale aku i ka pōhaku; ke kūʻai aku nei mākou i ke kumu no nā wafers silicon maʻemaʻe kiʻekiʻe. ʻO nā mea trace e like me ka boron, phosphorus, a i ʻole ka hao ma nā pae hapa-no-miliona hiki ke lilo i mea pōʻino no nā hua semiconductor. Ke koi nei kā mākou mea kūʻai aku i ka ʻoiaʻiʻo geological a me ka hana koʻikoʻi."
Mai ka Quarry a i Chip: Ka Huakaʻi Hoʻomaʻemaʻe
ʻO ka hoʻololi ʻana i ka pōhaku silica paʻakikī i mea maʻemaʻe e pono ai no ka ʻenehana e pili ana i kahi kaʻina hana paʻakikī a nui ka ikehu:
ʻEli a me ka Kuʻi ʻana:Hoʻopuka ʻia nā poloka nui, pinepine ma o ka pahū ʻana i kāohi ʻia ma nā lua eli hāmama, a laila kuʻi ʻia i loko o nā ʻāpana liʻiliʻi like.
Pōmaikaʻi:Hoʻomaʻemaʻe ʻia ka pōhaku i kuʻi ʻia, hoʻokaʻawale ʻia me ka magnetic, a me ka flotation e wehe i ka hapa nui o nā mea haumia e like me ka lepo, feldspar, a me nā minelala hao.
Ka Hana ʻana i ka Mahana Kiʻekiʻe:A laila hoʻokomo ʻia nā ʻāpana quartz i hoʻomaʻemaʻe ʻia i ka wela nui. I loko o nā umu arc i hoʻoluʻu ʻia, hana lākou me nā kumu kalapona (e like me ka coke a i ʻole nā ʻāpana lāʻau) e hana i ka silicon metallurgical-grade (MG-Si). ʻO kēia ka mea maka no nā mea hao alumini a me kekahi mau cell solar.
Hoʻomaʻemaʻe Loa:No nā mea uila (nā ʻāpana semiconductor) a me nā cell solar kiʻekiʻe-kūpono, hoʻomaʻemaʻe hou ʻia ʻo MG-Si. Hoʻololi ke Kaʻina Hana Siemens a i ʻole nā mea hana moe fluidized iā MG-Si i ke kinoea trichlorosilane, a laila hoʻoheheʻe ʻia i ka maʻemaʻe loa a waiho ʻia ma ke ʻano he mau ingots polysilicon. ʻOki ʻia kēia mau ingots i loko o nā wafers ultra-thin e lilo i puʻuwai o nā microchips a me nā cell solar.
Nā Mana Hoʻokele: AI, Solar, a me ke Kaʻapuni
Hoʻoulu ʻia ka piʻi ʻana o ke koi e nā kipi like ʻana:
ʻO ka AI Boom:ʻO nā semiconductors holomua, e koi ana i nā wafers silicon maʻemaʻe mau, nā mīkini o ka naʻauao hana. ʻO nā kikowaena ʻikepili, nā ʻāpana AI, a me ka helu hana kiʻekiʻe he mau mea kūʻai aku māʻona ʻole.
Hoʻonui ʻia ka ikehu lā:Ua hoʻonui nui ʻia ke koi no nā panela photovoltaic (PV) e nā hana honua e hoʻoulu ana i ka ikehu hou. He mea nui ka silicon maʻemaʻe kiʻekiʻe no nā cell solar kūpono. Manaʻo ka International Energy Agency (IEA) e hoʻonui ʻia ka mana o ka PV solar i ʻekolu manawa i ka makahiki 2030, e kau ana i ke kaomi nui ma ke kaulahao lako silicon.
Hana Hana Holomua:ʻO ka quartz i hoʻohui ʻia me ka maʻemaʻe kiʻekiʻe, i loaʻa mai ka pōhaku silica, he mea koʻikoʻi ia no nā ipu hoʻoheheʻe i hoʻohana ʻia i ka ulu ʻana o ke kristal silicon, nā optics kūikawā, nā lako hana lab wela kiʻekiʻe, a me nā lako hana semiconductor.
ʻO ke kaula paʻa o ka hoʻomau
ʻAʻole nele kēia ulu nui i nā hopohopo koʻikoʻi no ke kaiapuni a me ka nohona. ʻO ka hana ʻeli silica, ʻoiai nā hana lua ākea, hoʻololi i nā ʻāina a hoʻopau i ka nui o ka wai. He mea koʻikoʻi ka kaohi ʻana i ka lepo ma muli o ka pōʻino hanu o ka silica crystalline (silicosis). ʻO nā kaʻina hana hoʻomaʻemaʻe ikaika i ka ikehu e kōkua i nā kapuaʻi kalapona.
"He mea nui ka loaʻa ʻana o nā kumu kūpono," wahi a Maria Lopez, ke poʻo o ESG no TechMetals Global, kahi mea hana polysilicon nui. "Ke nānā pono nei mākou i kā mākou mea hoʻolako pōhaku silica - ʻaʻole wale ma ka maʻemaʻe, akā ma ka hoʻokele wai, ka hoʻopau ʻana i ka lepo, nā hoʻolālā hoʻoponopono ʻāina, a me ke komo ʻana o ke kaiāulu. Aia nā hōʻoia ʻōmaʻomaʻo o ka ʻoihana ʻenehana i kahi kaulahao lako maʻemaʻe a hiki i ka maka o ka lua pōhaku. Ke koi nei nā mea kūʻai aku a me nā mea hoʻopukapuka kālā iā ia."
Ka Wā E Hiki Mai Ana: Ka Hana Hou a me ka Kakaikahi?
Aia nā kānaka ʻepekema honua e like me Sarah Chen ma nā laina mua. Ke hoʻokuke nei ka ʻimi ʻana i nā palena hou, me nā waihona hohonu a me nā ʻano i nānā ʻole ʻia ma mua. Ke loaʻa nei ka hoihoi i ka hana hou ʻana i ka silicon mai nā panela solar a me nā mea uila i ka hopena o ke ola akā paʻakikī mau a ke hāʻawi wale nei i kahi hapa o ke koi.
"Aia kahi palena o ka pōhaku silica maʻemaʻe loa, kūpono i ka hoʻokele waiwai, hiki ke loaʻa me ka ʻenehana o kēia wā," wahi a Chen, e holoi ana i ka hou mai kona lae i ka wā e paʻi ana ka lā o Australia. "Ke paʻakikī nei ka loaʻa ʻana o nā waihona hou e hoʻokō ana i nā kikoʻī maʻemaʻe me ka ʻole o nā kumukūʻai hana astronomical. ʻO kēia pōhaku ... ʻaʻole ia he palena ʻole. Pono mākou e mālama iā ia ma ke ʻano he kumuwaiwai hoʻolālā maoli."
I ka napoʻo ʻana o ka lā ma luna o ka lua ʻeli ʻo Broken Hill, e hoʻolei ana i nā aka lōʻihi ma luna o nā waihona silica keʻokeʻo e ʻālohilohi ana, ʻo ka nui o ka hana e hōʻike ana i kahi ʻoiaʻiʻo hohonu. Ma lalo o ke kani o ka AI a me ka ʻālohilohi o nā panela solar e waiho ana kahi pōhaku kahiko haʻahaʻa. ʻO kona maʻemaʻe ke kuhikuhi nei i ka wikiwiki o kā mākou holomua ʻenehana, e hoʻolilo ana i ka ʻimi honua no ka pōhaku silica kiʻekiʻe i kekahi o nā moʻolelo ʻoihana koʻikoʻi loa, inā he haʻahaʻa, o ko mākou manawa.
Ka manawa hoʻouna: Iulai-07-2025