Display with 36 Silicon Carbide stopper bottles in a beautiful counter display.

Silicon carbide (SiC), also known as carborundum, is a very hard material that is widely used for grinding and polishing, in the form of grinding stones, polishing and grinding powders and as a coating for sandpaper, and nowadays also for the armoring of armored vehicles. The compound was discovered by Edward Goodrich Acheson who obtained a patent on it on February 28, 1893. Granular silicon carbide is produced on a commercial scale by a reaction at very high temperature. High-quality silica sand and carbon (usually petroleum coke) are mixed in the correct ratio to reaction material for this purpose. A pile of material is built from this mixture. In the middle of this pile of material is a core of graphite that serves as a current conductor. The graphite core is connected to a transformer and energized. As a result of the resistance, the temperature in the core of the pile of material (oven) rises to approximately 2700 degrees Celsius. At this temperature, the reaction SiO2 (sand) + 3C (coke) produces SiC + 2CO (carbon monoxide); in short: SiO2 + 3 C → SiC + 2 CO A clear distinction must be made between granular silicon carbide and fibrous silicon carbide, which is produced on a nano scale for specific purposes. It has been demonstrated that granular silicon carbide is toxically inert. Granular silicon carbide, as produced in the Netherlands, is not classified as a hazardous substance or preparation according to EC Directive 67/548/EEC or Directive 1999/45/EC or Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008. In a report published on 7 December 2012, the Dutch Health Council states that silicon carbide in fibre form (fibres, ‘whiskers’) can cause cancer and should be classified as ‘carcinogenic to humans’ (in category 1A), according to the classification system of the Health Council. The data on the granular form of silicon carbide are insufficient to be able to classify its carcinogenic properties (category 3). The reason is that the committee is concerned about the question whether commercial granular silicon carbide is sufficiently free of fibre-shaped silicon carbide