As the average size of SiC particles was greater than that of Si particles in the slurries, the negative charges on the Si surfaces were more than that on SiC surfaces in buffer solution, increasing the average settling velocity for SiC particles and attractive force toward the anode for Si particles. Therefore, the horizontal and vertical movement of Si and SiC particles occurred simultaneously when a horizontal electrical field was applied to the cell. Due to the small size, low density and increased charges, the electrical field enhanced greater displacement for Si particles, leading to a Si distribution on the bottom of the separation cell. The highest efficiency of separation, with only 7.15 wt% SiC remaining in the mixture, was obtained near the cell outlet and the recovered material with high Si content can be transferred to an induction furnace to generate solar-grade Si.