How did Edward G. Acheson make silicon carbide for use as an abrasive?

Edward G. Acheson discovered silicon carbide—which he trademarked as Carborundum—in 1891 while experimenting with methods to produce artificial diamonds.12

To create the material, Acheson heated a mixture of clay and powdered coke in an iron bowl. He used the bowl itself and a carbon arc light as electrodes to pass an electric current through the mixture. Upon cooling, he discovered small, shiny, hexagonal crystals attached to the carbon electrode.12

Initially, Acheson mistakenly believed these crystals were a compound of carbon and alumina derived from the clay, leading him to name the substance after the mineral corundum. After realizing the crystals possessed a hardness approaching that of diamond, he recognized their potential as an industrial abrasive and secured a patent for the material in 1893. Modern manufacturing processes for silicon carbide remain fundamentally based on this original electrical resistance method developed by Acheson.123