RECOSiC® - The world's first recycling plant for silicon carbide

In the Just Transition Fund funding area in the Rhineland mining region, specifically in Frechen-Grefrath, ESK-SIC GmbH is building the world's first factory to industrially recycle silicon carbide (SiC) while retaining its material-specific properties. The company has developed the process under the patented brand name RECOSiC® together with the Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems (IKTS). RECOSiC® focuses on the circular economy and aims to reuse SiC from regional sources.

New standards for resource conservation and climate protection

Silicon carbide is a key material for high-tech industries such as the production of semiconductors, aerospace and electromobility. Traditionally, it is produced in a very energy-intensive process that releases large amounts of CO₂ with high electricity consumption. RECOSiC® takes a new approach: the technology, developed in close cooperation with the Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems (IKTS), enables a CO₂ reduction of up to 80 percent and largely dispenses with primary raw materials. The innovation work is based on an intensive exchange with research institutions, customers and industrial partners.

Less dependency, more climate protection

Almost 80 percent of the SiC produced worldwide to date comes from China. RECOSiC® will make the supply more independent and strengthen raw material security for Europe. At the same time, energy consumption and emissions are reduced - a benefit for the environment and industry. By implementing the project at the Frechen site, ESK-SIC is strengthening the region and bringing know-how, jobs and innovation in key technologies to North Rhine-Westphalia. SiC production using the RECOSiC® process is part of the structural change in the Rhenish mining area: it shows what sustainable industry can look like in a former coal-mining region.

Lighthouse project for innovation and sustainability

With RECOSiC®, a lighthouse project for sustainable production and the circular economy is being created in Frechen - and an important step towards climate-friendly industry in North Rhine-Westphalia. The factory will not only revolutionize the environmental footprint of SiC production, but also strengthen Europe's innovative power and strategic competitiveness.