Mechanisms for the removal of inclusions from silicon through filtration include cake filtration for the removal of large Si3N4 rods and large SiC inclusions, deep-bed filtration of smaller Si3N4 inclusions and most SiC particles, formation of large SiC clusters and bridges across pores, silicon dissolution into carbon filters, and a subsequent reaction to form layers of SiC. However, the experi- ment results showed that contamination from the filter is the major obstacle to industrial applications of the proposed methods.