- Pilot plant ready to start producing materials.
MONTREAL, Canada — HPQ Silicon Inc. (“HPQ” or the “Company”) (TSX-V: HPQ) (OTCQB: HPQFF) (FRA: O08), a technology company specializing in the green engineering of silica and silicon-based materials is pleased to announce that HPQ Silica Polvere Inc. (“HSPI”)[1] has reached a major milestone in the commercial validation of its proprietary Fumed Silica Reactor (“FSR”) process.
Technology supplier PyroGenesis Canada Inc. (TSX: PYR, OTCQX: PYRGF, FRA: 8PY) (“PyroGenesis”) has informed HSPI that the FSR hot blank test has been successfully completed, and the pilot plant’s commissioning is now complete.
“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 FSR technology,” said Bernard Tourillon, President & CEO of HPQ Silicon and HPQ Silicon Polvere. “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,” said Mr. P. Peter Pascali, President and CEO of PyroGenesis. “With the successful commissioning of the FSR 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.”
Q3 FSR COMMISSIONING BRIDGES LAB SCALE TO PILOT PLANT AND COMMERCIAL SCALE
The commissioning process validates that the FSR is ready for operation following the successful hot blank test. It also aimed to optimize the transition from the lab-scale FSR—which had already produced Fumed Silica meeting Evonik’s specifications (as per the July 9th, 2024, release)—to the Pilot Plant FSR.
Additionally, data collected during the commissioning period enabled the development of a revised model for the energy required to produce 1 kg of fumed silica at a commercial scale of at least 1,000 tonnes per year (TPY), along with its associated carbon footprint (as per the August 15th, 2024, release). It also allowed the validation of system design concepts that could help minimize risks and reduce the time required to scale from the 50 TPY pilot plant to the 1,000 TPY commercial-scale plant, ensuring a smoother transition to full-scale production.
PILOT PLANT PROJECT TIMELINE
With the commissioning phase completed, the program is now advancing into the batch production phase, during which the FSR will begin manufacturing fumed silica. The primary goal at this stage is to validate the process’s ability to consistently replicate key physical properties—such as surface area—and rheological properties, including viscosity and thickening behavior, as demonstrated at the lab scale. Once this milestone is achieved, the system will transition to semi-continuous operation, targeting the production of at least 200 kg of commercial-grade fumed silica samples for comprehensive testing and validation.
Throughout these phases, the produced fumed silica will undergo internal testing, and samples will be sent to Evonik and potentially other parties under NDA for evaluation. By Q1 2025, the focus will shift to optimizing pilot plant operations to produce food- and pharma-grade fumed silica with surface areas of 300 m²/g. In addition to producing material with surface areas ranging from 150 to 300 m²/g, the overarching goal is to operate the pilot plant at full capacity, running multiple daily production cycles and delivering commercial-quality material. Assuming 20 hours of daily operation, the system could produce approximately 161 kg per day or 50,000 kg per year (50 TPY).
REFERENCE SOURCES
[1] A wholly owned subsidiary of HPQ Silicon Inc. when technology supplier PyroGenesis announced its intention to exercise its option to acquire a 50% stake in HSPI in May 2024.
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.
