QRR pilot plant validation for GEN3 PUREVAP™
by CM staff
Pyrogenesis tested the purity of Silicon material produced during the first three series one tests.
MONTREAL — HPQ Silicon Inc., a tech company engaged in green engineering processes for producing silica and silicon material, has reached a milestone with series one of the GEN3 PUREVAP™ Quartz Reduction Reactor testing and validation program.
Technology provider PyroGenesis Canada Inc., (Pyrogenesis) achieved, under less-than-optimal operating conditions, better than expected purity results, and demonstrated its ability to operate the Pilot Plant on a semi – continuous basis.
Pyrogenesis tested the purity of Silicon material produced during the first three series one tests. This was done:
- To validate the GEN3 PUREVAP™ QRR pilot plant scale-up,
- To determine how HPQ QRR Silicon purity compares to the purity threshold of the metallurgical grade silicon (MG Si) (98.0 per cent to 99.5% Si) presently available in the market,
- To determine the optimal parameters required and the process improvements needed to produce battery-grade silicon purity (3N+) during test series two, and
- To optimize and improve the production yield for the next PUREVAP™ QRR generations.
Samples from each of the three tests were sent for ICP-MS Silicon Bulk Sample Analysis at Air Liquide Electronics (Balazs NanoAnalysis).
“While we never doubted that our GEN3 PUREVAP™ QRR would produce High Purity Silicon (> 99.5% Si),” said Bernard Tourillon, President and CEO of HPQ Silicon Inc. “Validating the fact that our system can produce the best grade MG Si offered in the market and better, this early in the testing program was unexpected and is quite an accomplishment.”
These results demonstrate the value of the technical team at PyroGenesis and validates their methodical approach. While the focus of using our PUREVAP™ QRR technology remains on developing the battery initiative, these results confirm the added potential commercial value of the technology as a better alternative to conventional silicon processes. Furthermore, HPQ’s QRR will be highly sought after as we continue to exist in a market environment that will be looking at building new plants to meet the demand for 99.5% Silicon as feedstock to make Silicones and Polysilicon.
