TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Method: The method further comprises drying the silicon powder after separating the silicon powder from the slurry. The step of contacting the silicon powder with a solvent metal comprises feeding silicon powder into a molten bath, and during the melting, the temperature is maintained above the solidus temperature of the first molten liquid. The method further comprises, after separating the first silicon crystals and the first mother liquid, melting the silicon crystals to provide a first molten bath, contacting the first molten bath with a second gas, directionally solidifying the first molten bath to provide second silicon crystals, heating the second silicon crystals to provide a second molten bath and directionally solidifying the second molten bath to provide purified silicon, where the second gas comprises oxygen, water, a hydrogen and/or inert gas mixture. The method further comprises: acid washing the silicon crystals to remove impurities, after separating the first silicon crystals and the first mother liquid; and melting the silicon crystals after separating the first silicon crystals and the first mother liquid. The second molten liquid is cooled to a temperature of less than the liquidus temperature of the second molten liquid and within a temperature of 125 degrees C above the solidus temperature of the second molten liquid, where the second molten liquid is cooled at a rate of less than 75 degrees C/hour and/or the second molten liquid is cooled over a period of time of at least 2 hours. The second molten liquid is cooled to a temperature of above the solidus temperature of the second molten liquid and below the liquidus temperature of the second molten liquid. The method comprises, after melting the silicon under submersion and before separating the dross and the second molten liquid, contacting the first molten liquid with a salt flux by adding the salt flux to the surface of the first molten liquid. The method comprises: the steps (a)-(d) as above per se; contacting the first molten liquid with an initial gas; the steps (e)-(g) as above se; and separating the first silicon crystals and the first mother liquid. Preferred Components: The temperature of the first molten liquid is below the liquidus temperature of the first molten liquid and is above the solidus temperature of the first molten liquid. The solvent metal is silicon, molten silicon, copper, tin, zinc, antimony, silver, bismuth, aluminum, cadmium, gallium, indium, magnesium, lead and/or its alloy. The first gas comprises at least one of chlorine, chlorine and inert gas, oxygen, nitrogen, helium, argon, hydrogen, sulfur hexafluoride, phosgene, carbon tetrachloride, water vapor, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, tetrachlorosilane or tetrafluorosilane. EXAMPLE - No suitable example given.