- HPQ Silicon (TSXV:HPQ), a microcap stock focused on the green engineering of silica and silicon-based materials, has finalized pilot plant commissioning for its Fumed Silica Reactor
- Assuming 20 hours of daily production, the plant could produce approximately 161 kg of fumed silica per day or 50 tons per year
- HPQ Silicon is a Canadian green technology stock focused on producing fumed silica, high-purity silicon, silicon-based anode materials for battery applications, and on-demand hydrogen
- HPQ Silicon stock has added 42.31 per cent year-over-year and 270 per cent since 2019
HPQ Silicon (TSXV:HPQ), a microcap stock focused on the green engineering of silica and silicon-based materials, is announcing that its subsidiary, HPQ Silica Polvere, has finalized pilot plant commissioning for its Fumed Silica Reactor, a plasma-based technology that converts quartz feedstock into fumed silica with an up to 86 per cent reduction in energy usage.
The milestone follows technology supplier Pyrogenesis Canada’s (TSX:PYR) successful completion of a hot blank test and enables the pilot plant to ramp up from lab-scale production to more commercial volumes. Assuming 20 hours of daily production, the plant could produce approximately 161 kilograms per day or 50 tons per year (tpy).
Data collected during the commissioning process also enhanced operations by:
- Yielding a revised model for the energy required to produce 1 kg of fumed silica at a commercial scale of at least 1,000 tpy, along with its associated carbon footprint.
- Validating system design concepts with the potential to de-risk and expedite production from the 50 tpy pilot plant to a planned 1,000 tpy commercial-scale plant.
The pilot plant will now move into the batch production phase and fine-tune its process to generate consistent fumed silica in terms of surface area, viscosity and thickening behaviour, as demonstrated in the lab. Once the batch phase is complete, the plant will move to semi-continuous production, aiming to generate by year-end at least 200 kg of commercial-grade samples for testing and validation by HPQ Silicon, partner Evonik and third parties under non-disclosure agreements.
By Q1 2025, HPQ Silicon hopes to be optimizing the plant to produce food- and pharma-grade fumed silica, with the ultimate goal of operating at full capacity and delivering commercial-quality material.
According to Fact.MR, the fumed silica market is expected to grow from US$1.45 billion in 2024 to US$2.36 billion by 2034 at a compound annual growth rate of 5 per cent.
Leadership insights
“With the pilot plant now ready to produce materials, we are one step closer to providing sample materials for external testing while showcasing the remarkable potential of our Fumed Silica Reactor technology,” Bernard Tourillon, president and chief executive officer of HPQ Silicon and HPQ Silica Polvere, said in a statement. “We are highly confident that the next steps in the program will be completed successfully. This is a unique opportunity, and we are proud to be at the forefront of a transformation that will revolutionize fumed silica manufacturing.”
“The Fumed Silica project is an important project for PyroGenesis, due not only to the overall market size and breadth for fumed silica but also because of the increasing demand for a safer production method for a product that has traditionally been made using volatile chemicals under potentially hazardous conditions,” added P. Peter Pascali, president and CEO of PyroGenesis. “With the successful commissioning of the Fumed Silica Reactor pilot plant, we move one step closer to bringing our innovative, safe and energy-efficient production approach to market for one of the industry’s most in-demand materials.”
About HPQ Silicon
HPQ Silicon is a Canadian green technology stock focused on producing the critical materials needed to reach net-zero emissions. The company’s efforts are centred on fumed silica, high-purity silicon, silicon-based anode materials for battery applications, and on-demand hydrogen production.
HPQ Silicon stock (TSXV:HPQ) last traded at C$0.37 per share. The stock has added 42.31 per cent year-over-year and 270 per cent since 2019.
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(Top photo of fumed silica: HPQ Silicon)