MONTREAL, Canada — HPQ Silicon Inc. (“HPQ” or the “Company”) (TSX-V: HPQ) (OTCQX: HPQFF) (FRA: O08), an innovative silicon solutions and technology development company, would like to inform shareholders that technology provider PyroGenesis Canada Inc. (TSX: PYR) (NASDAQ: PYR) (FRA: 8PY), has started the final GEN3 PUREVAP™ Quartz Reduction Reactor (QRR) high-temperature dynamic test.
This is the last assessment step, after which feedstock will be fed into the system, so that process improvement tests can begin. The seventy-two (72) hours non-stop duration test began on Tuesday, October 25, 2022.
ADVANCING ON SCHEDULE IMPLEMENTING A CAUTIOUS APPROACH TO QRR PILOT PLANT START
The GEN3 PUREVAP™ QRR Pilot (the “Pilot Plant”) is a first-of-its-kind, state-of-the-art prototype that operates under harsh conditions such as extremely high temperatures (> 2,000 C) and under vacuum.
The ongoing high-temperature dynamic blank test ( 1,850 C) aims to confirm that all the Pilot Plant compounds can operate within key design parameters. After the dynamic blank test, the Pilot Plant will be cooled down to allow the completion of a visual inspection of all important components of the reactor. Once the inspection is completed, the Pilot Plant will be ready to receive feedstock material.
The Pilot Plant is in the final pre-production testing phase, which includes four (4) process improvement tests. For each test, the system will be ramped up to full design parameters, it will be used to produce Silicon materials, allowed to cool, and then inspected to collect wear and tear data. It will then be prepared for the next series of tests after all systems pass inspection.
The goal of the QRR Pilot plant program is to operate the system 24/7 for the time required to collect all the information necessary to advance to the next phase, building commercial sized GEN4 PUREVAP™ QRR systems. During this phase, the system will produce High Purity Silicon material on a semi continuous mode, and HPQ will be sending out samples to potential buyers.
“Silicon manufacturing still relies on the same expensive, high carbon emissions and energy intensive conventional process developed back in the 1890s. With our shareholders’ support, the time when HPQ disrupts this status quo is almost here. Getting the project this far has been a technical and financial challenge, but seeing the machine turned on, made all the effort worthwhile,” said Mr. Bernard Tourillon, President and CEO of HPQ Silicon Inc. “HPQ is the only company bringing to market a new process for manufacturing Silicon that is perfectly suited to the new demands and realities of today’s Silicon market. With ESG principles playing an active role in materials sourcing and with recent geopolitical unrest emphasizing the need for stable trade partners and supply security, global corporations are becoming more aware of the difficulties in securing the ESG-compliant Silicon needed to meet their renewable energy agenda. The reality of chronic underinvestment in new technologies combined with the offshoring of Silicon production capacity, is creating massive opportunities for HPQ and its PUREVAP™ QRR patented process.”
HPQ Silicon is a Quebec-based TSX Venture Exchange Tier 1 Industrial Issuer. With the support of world-class technology partners PyroGenesis Canada and NOVACIUM SAS, the company is developing new green processes crucial to make the critical materials needed to reach net zero emissions.
