HPQ Fumed Silica Reactor has potential to reduce CO2 emissions in production by over 50%
by CM Staff
HPQ also says they have acquired a new Intellectual Property (IP) from PyroGenesis for $3,600,000, pertaining to a "Low Carbon Emission Process for the production of Silicon."
Conventional fumed silica manufacturing processes rely on Silicon Metal (Si) as a feedstock, involving complex steps, high energy consumption, hazardous materials, and Hydrogen Chloride Gas (HCI) production as by-product.
MONTREAL — HPQ Silicon Inc., a technology company specializing in green engineering processes for silica and silicon material production, is amending a previous announcement they made at the request of L’AUTORITÉ DES MARCHÉS FINANCIERS.
On May 17th, 2023, HPQ Polvere announced that its proprietary reactor technology successfully produced, at lab scale, Fumed Silica using quartz (SiO2) as feedstock only, thereby opening the door for this process to allow a reduction of over 50% in the direct CO2 e (CO2 equivalent) emissions associated with fumed silica production.
Conventional fumed silica manufacturing processes rely on Silicon Metal (Si) as a feedstock, involving complex steps, high energy consumption, hazardous materials, and Hydrogen Chloride Gas (HCI) production as by-product. These processes result in a carbon footprint of 9.5 tonnes (t) CO2 e/t of fumed silica ± 2.5 t CO2 e, with over 60% [1] of emissions stemming from the use of silicon metal as feedstock.
By contrast, the HPQ Polvere Fumed Silica Reactor enables a direct transformation of quartz into fumed silica, eliminating the need for the conventional carbothermic process to convert quartz into silicon metal. This innovation could potentially reduce direct CO2 e emissions associated with fumed silica production by more than 60%, equivalent to a reduction of approximately 5 t CO2 e/t of fumed silica produced.
“The Fumed Silica Reactor developed by HPQ Silica Polvere Inc. perfectly embodies HPQ’s commitment to green engineering processes. We are dedicated to developing innovative processes that minimize the environmental footprint while meeting the material demands of the industry,” said Mr. Bernard Tourillon, President and CEO of HPQ Silicon and HPQ Silica Polvere. “This release specifically highlights the direct CO2 emissions reductions achieved by the Reactor and does not encompass the additional substantial indirect environmental benefits. Work to date strongly suggests the potential for HPQ Polvere to develop commercial grade fumed silica with greatly reduced carbon footprints relative to today’s commercially available technologies.”
HPQ also says they have acquired a new Intellectual Property (IP) from PyroGenesis for $3,600,000, pertaining to a “Low Carbon Emission Process for the production of Silicon.”
PyroGenesis and HPQ are still negotiating a complementary agreement focusing on the research and development phases necessary for implementing this IP. As a result, the parties have signed on July 11, 2023, an Addendum to the original agreement pushing back the in-cash payment of $3,600,000 date from no later than by June 30th, 2023, to no later than by December 31st, 2023. The effective date of the Addendum is June 30, 2023
