▎ 摘　　要

NOVELTY - Method for producing electrochemically active silicon from clay minerals, involves (a) etching metallic impurities from an aluminosilicate mineral in a liquid acid etchant, (b) separating solids including silica from the liquid acid etchant, (c) reducing the silica in the separated solids to silicon using a solid reducing agent resulting in a silicon-residual silica composite, (d) removing aluminum chloride from the silicon-residual silica composite, (e) dissolving oxides of the solid reducing agent in an acid solution, (f) separating silicon-residual silica solids remaining in the acid solution from the acid solution, and (g) drying the separated silicon-residual silica solids to produce a clay mineral-derived silicon product. USE - The method is useful for producing electrochemically active silicon from clay minerals. ADVANTAGE - The method extracts high purity silicon powders from clay minerals. DETAILED DESCRIPTION - An INDEPENDENT CLAIM is included for a clay mineral-derived silicon product prepared by a hydrofluoric acid-free process, comprising silicon nano-structures, and 5-25 wt.% silica.