“It’s Like Working In A Volcano”: How Silicon Is Made | Extreme Jobs

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  • Опубликовано: 6 сен 2024
  • The process of turning quartz into silicon isn’t for the faint-hearted. We go inside one of the largest silicon smelters in the world. Subscribe to ABC Science RUclips 👉 ab.co/2YFO4Go
    This is an excerpt from the Australian documentary series, Catalyst - The Grid: Powering The Future. Australians can watch the full program here 👉 ab.co/2nFL0tp
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Комментарии • 68

  • @jayymichaels8100
    @jayymichaels8100 Год назад +32

    I work at a plant just like this in America. Working in those furnaces is hell.

    • @matlilly8795
      @matlilly8795 Год назад +17

      That's nothing. I have a desk job in the air conditioning. The other day I forgot to turn on my desk fan and felt slightly uncomfortable for about 10 minutes until I remembered to switch it on.

    • @ThumbDr
      @ThumbDr 4 месяца назад +3

      @@matlilly8795RIP one like one prayer. Get well soon

  • @miserablepile
    @miserablepile 4 месяца назад +7

    I wish this had more views, this is really interesting!

  • @cjbascomb530
    @cjbascomb530 Год назад +6

    It is hot asf been at it for 2 years

  • @ktwilson5118
    @ktwilson5118 5 месяцев назад +1

    This is very interesting. Good job you guys!

  • @fawnwoods51
    @fawnwoods51 2 года назад +3

    This is where my new silicon straws came from.

  • @ThereWillBeCake
    @ThereWillBeCake 3 месяца назад +3

    And the Australian govt wants to reach zero emissions. haha

    • @PurplePeopleHatter
      @PurplePeopleHatter 8 дней назад

      he did say that in a solar panel lifetime, it will produce 10 times as much as it took to make...
      so eventually could be zero emissions, yep

  • @Where_has_the_sanity_gone
    @Where_has_the_sanity_gone 8 месяцев назад +3

    So do they supply Taiwan or does Taiwan mine it itself?

    • @chickeneaterofficial2889
      @chickeneaterofficial2889 3 месяца назад

      If you're referring to the Taiwanese microchips, than I'm certain they don't produce their due to the lack of quartz (SiO2) rich soil.
      So it makes more sense economically to import it from neighboring countries. However, they produce more than 60% of semiconductors that are sold internationally.

  • @jacquesfilion9117
    @jacquesfilion9117 Год назад +10

    Check out HPQ SILICON, zero CO2 emissions.

    • @user-yz6yk7ir1x
      @user-yz6yk7ir1x 7 месяцев назад +4

      According to Hewlett Packard, the company that produces it, the production of HPQ Silicon emits 84% less CO2 than conventional silicon. That is significant, but I wonder if this finding has been confirmed by independent research.

    • @jacquesfilion9117
      @jacquesfilion9117 7 месяцев назад

      The 1 Kg eq of CO2 per Kg of Fumed Silica is based on Hydro Quebec data that indicate in Quebec 1.3 g of CO2 are generated eq per KWh. While the 2.5 is based on the Canadian average for
      electricity generation carbon intensity of 150 g per KWh. In Q4 Independent testing done at McGill University confirmed the HPQ Polvere FSR capability of producing
      Commercial Grade Fumed Silica in one
      step at lab scale. @@user-yz6yk7ir1x

    • @Mrshutter
      @Mrshutter Месяц назад

      They better not include carbon offsets. Also are they including power generation?

    • @RetirededKat
      @RetirededKat 10 дней назад

      So we're just looking for as many ways as we can to suffocate plants?

  • @ulrichlittmann3095
    @ulrichlittmann3095 2 года назад +6

    Very interesting. What happens to the released CO2?

    • @siddarths631
      @siddarths631 2 года назад +9

      Released into the atmosphere leading to the latter's pollution

    • @raspas99
      @raspas99 2 года назад +16

      @@siddarths631 also not forget you exhale CO2. Scary stuff

    • @Auroral_Anomaly
      @Auroral_Anomaly 10 месяцев назад

      @@raspas99Not nearly that much.

    • @raspas99
      @raspas99 9 месяцев назад

      @@Auroral_Anomaly like when making silicon?

    • @Auroral_Anomaly
      @Auroral_Anomaly 9 месяцев назад +1

      @@raspas99 No, exhaling.

  • @iraqwarveteran470
    @iraqwarveteran470 Год назад +14

    Oh, coal is needed to make solar panels. That's a plot twist.

    • @CATASTEROID934
      @CATASTEROID934 Год назад +5

      It's mostly likely a type of coke or other relatively pure carbon source similar to what you'd use to reduce iron oxides like hematite, limonite or magnetite to metallic iron in an ironworks/steel mill, so there's a couple of steps in between but yeah essentially refined coal

    • @kutfingertv814
      @kutfingertv814 11 месяцев назад +3

      This is the Simcoa plant in Western Australia, and for the most part it uses Jarrah wood charcoal, although lately it is using more coal refined to coke. But West Australians are Gods chosen people, and the apple of Gods eye, and it is our every right to do what we want. But yeh, you can just use any carbon source, and there are trials into substituting Hydrogen instead of carbon to remove the oxygen from the Silicon Dioxide (Quartz).

  • @christopherpetersen342
    @christopherpetersen342 4 месяца назад

    and transforming it from bulk polysilicon into rods, wafers, and solar cells has other costs

  • @sakarkolachhapati9793
    @sakarkolachhapati9793 5 месяцев назад

    I dont think keeping global temperature below 1.5 pre industrial level is achievable

  • @psycleen
    @psycleen 2 месяца назад

    where is darth

  • @greentea7180
    @greentea7180 2 месяца назад

    Lol, it seems like those hilariously dangerous and horrendous looking jobs could be automated pretty easily...

  • @BigLeBowski4456
    @BigLeBowski4456 9 месяцев назад +3

    Those look like generic 3M dust masks with a mere dustfilter. Fine dust will get through in time, gases will too... Very unhealthy work environment, these men keep the world turning.

    • @PurplePeopleHatter
      @PurplePeopleHatter 8 дней назад

      agreed, plus some of those tasks should be automated for safety
      how on earth in this day and age, do we have to physically unblock a volcano-temp pipe, or drive a human driven vehicle into a furnace to stoke it? can no engineer figure out ways to remove humans from this environment???

  • @capstonestructural7212
    @capstonestructural7212 Год назад +13

    The dirty little secret about clean energy from solar panel is that the process to get produce it is worst than what it is replacing. SMH.

    • @hashdankhog8578
      @hashdankhog8578 Год назад +1

      Did you not watch to the end?

    • @caesarsalad1170
      @caesarsalad1170 Год назад +1

      @@hashdankhog8578 It may generate more electricity than it took to make it, but panels don't suck carbon and other gasses out of the air that the furnace/smelter gives off or clean up molten slag.

    • @hashdankhog8578
      @hashdankhog8578 Год назад

      @@caesarsalad1170 and thats why we also need to focus on carbon capture. Just because they do generate carbon doesnt mean they are worth using or that we should keep using oil.

    • @caesarsalad1170
      @caesarsalad1170 Год назад +2

      @@hashdankhog8578 Except oil is a absolute critical component to our modern society besides fuel.

    • @hashdankhog8578
      @hashdankhog8578 Год назад

      @@caesarsalad1170 well slavery was critical for americas economy but we still got rid of it. Just because a society relies on something doesn’t mean that we need it.

  • @jonathangullett3143
    @jonathangullett3143 10 месяцев назад +3

    “Green” evengy

    • @user-yz6yk7ir1x
      @user-yz6yk7ir1x 7 месяцев назад +3

      Solar cell production is indeed problematic; it's not a silver bullet for confronting the climate crisis. But, as stated in this video, "if silicon is incorporated into a solar panel, it will generate at least 4 times as much energy as it took to make it -- 10 times as much in a country like Australia." Compared with fossil fuels, there's simply no contest. Another commenter mentioned HPQ silicon, the production of which supposedly releases 84% less CO2 than conventionally produced silicons. That's something that should be getting more attention.

  • @DonzLockz
    @DonzLockz 2 года назад +4

    Really cool to see but it's too hot to work there. Dangerous work and bad for the environment but a necessary evil.

  • @whatthefunction9140
    @whatthefunction9140 2 года назад +9

    Kind of ironic it's not solar powered

    • @ABetterLifeInc
      @ABetterLifeInc 2 года назад +10

      You have any idea how big that solar and battery set up would be! 😆

    • @iraqwarveteran470
      @iraqwarveteran470 Год назад +1

      Haha. Exactly.

    • @ThumbDr
      @ThumbDr 4 месяца назад

      I don’t think you understand the word ironic 😂

    • @sgtbrown4273
      @sgtbrown4273 2 месяца назад +1

      @@ABetterLifeInc about the size of TEXAS 🤣

  • @linrae4737
    @linrae4737 2 года назад +2

    Really whoever took this on initially??? How hot raw materials need to be heated to become useful to mankind!! WOW gotta wonder are some things worth using???

    • @markmarketing7365
      @markmarketing7365 Год назад +3

      Brother, I'm very late with this one but the whole world runs on silicon, it's the cornerstone of every computing chip.

  • @morayoung3183
    @morayoung3183 2 года назад +2

    Wow working in hell, not the way God provides, clean energy.

    • @DoubtingThomas333
      @DoubtingThomas333 2 года назад +2

      The universe is full of blistering heat, things burning, etc etc

    • @DoubtingThomas333
      @DoubtingThomas333 2 года назад +2

      ..."A recent study found that the average temperature of the hot gases in the large-scale structures, including galaxies and galaxy clusters, of the universe is 2 million Kelvin - or 1,999,726.85 degrees Celsius."
      21 Nov 2020.
      Look it up