Plasma arc process and apparatus for the production of fumed silica

A plasma arc process for producing fumed silica, including the steps of:

• feeding silica, such as crushed quartz, into a plasma arc reactor;
• adding additive(s) to fed silica to enhance:
• electrical conductivity of silica melt, and/or to lower its melting temperature, and/or to improve fumed silica production rate and/or its quality;
• generating within the reactor a plasma arc at a tip of at least one top electrode;
• injecting through the top electrode gasses to enhance the production of fumed silica
• by reducing vaporization energy of silica,
• by increasing arc power to enhance silica vaporization rate,
• by introducing reactive species such as H, O, and OH via plasma arc heating of injected gas(es) such as steam to enhance surface chemistry and properties of amorphous nano-sized silica particles in the form of fumed silica;
• transferring the plasma arc directly to a molten silica contained in the reactor, vaporizing silica and forming SiO;
• quenching the SiO, to reform SiO2 but as amorphous nano particles;
• and
• removing the amorphous SiO2 nano particles in the form of fumed silica from the reactor.