Engineering firm HPQ Silicon’s pilot fumed silica reactor (FSR) plant has produced a material that is potentially fumed silica during its fourth Phase 1 batch test.

The company’s technology supplier, PyroGenesis, has confirmed that the plant is advancing in validating the scale-up of its equipment from lab scale to pilot scale.

As part of this validation and following continuous process improvements after each of the first three batch tests, the pilot plant produced and collected quantities of white powder material—potentially fumed silica—in its dedicated product recovery unit. This confirms the project’s underlying assumptions that the process can produce fumed silica at commercial scale.

The powder material collected is in the process of being tested to confirm if it is fumed silica or an intermediary material and whether it contains any impurities.

The milestone positions HPQ for its next phase of development toward eventual commercialization.

“Achieving these outcomes so early in the testing phase significantly boosts our confidence in our ability to replicate this milestone and consistently produce commercial-quality material,” said Bernard Tourillon, President and CEO of HPQ Silicon and HPQ Silica. “Once we receive confirmation and are satisfied with the material’s quality, we will be ready to distribute samples to third parties.”

Source: HPQ Silicon