Europe’s first silicon carbide recycling plant in the Rheinisches Revier

Silicon carbide is a key raw material for many future-oriented industries. It is used in the production of semiconductors, electric cars, solar panels and even in the aerospace industry. Currently, Europe’s silicon carbide supply is heavily dependent on imports, accounting for nearly 90 percent of the total. In an effort to reduce this dependence, Europe’s first industrial recycling plant for silicon carbide is being built in Frechen-Grefrath, in the Rhineland mining region, at a cost of hundreds of millions of euros.

The project developer is ESK-SIC, a company that specializes in producing silicon carbide powder. In the future, silicon carbide will be recovered using the “RECOSiC” recycling process, which was developed by ESK-SIC and the Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies. This process will conserve significant amounts of energy and primary raw materials while reducing CO₂ emissions by up to 80%. 

The official groundbreaking ceremony for the 9,200-square-meter site took place in May, and the facility is scheduled to open in early 2028. At the ceremony, Hendrik Wüst, the Minister President of North Rhine-Westphalia, summarized the project's significance: "With Recosic, a unique industrial project for climate-neutral, high-tech production and a modern circular economy is taking shape in Frechen. The groundbreaking ceremony is therefore a strong signal for innovation and industrial value creation in North Rhine-Westphalia.”