What You Need To Know
- Independent third-party validation confirms commercial-grade 150 fumed silica produced at pilot scale
- Validation performed by a potential customer under an existing Letter of Intent
- Results support ongoing commercialization discussions, including with the party under LOI
- Performance metrics, including viscosity, meet or exceed benchmark specifications
- Planning initiated for a potential dedicated production site as demand visibility improves
Here’s how HPQ Silicon Inc. is positioning its proprietary process as a simplified, lower-barrier alternative with the potential to materially change production economics in a legacy industrial materials market.
A NEW APPROACH TO A LEGACY INDUSTRIAL MATERIAL
Fumed silica is a critical additive used to control thickness and stability in products ranging from toothpaste and cosmetics to adhesives, coatings, inks, and advanced industrial formulations. Despite its broad use, the industry has relied for decades on complex, fossil-fuel-intensive, multi-step manufacturing processes that are costly, environmentally burdensome, and dominated by a small number of global suppliers.
HPQ’s approach is fundamentally different. Its process converts quartz directly into fumed silica in a single step, eliminating several traditional intermediates. The result is a simplified production pathway that has the potential to reduce complexity and materially alter the cost structure associated with fumed silica manufacturing.
WHY INDEPENDENT VERIFICATION MATTERS
While HPQ had previously demonstrated promising lab-scale results, commercialization in industrial materials depends on more than internal testing. Customers must confirm that a product performs within their own application and process requirements.
That hurdle has now been cleared.
Independent testing conducted by a potential customer under LOI confirmed that HPQ’s pilot-scale material meets commercial-grade 150 specifications, including surface area and viscosity—two of the most important performance metrics buyers evaluate.
“Until we had gotten this result, we were making a big claim. Now, we have the data to prove it.”
— Bernard Tourillon, CEO, HPQ Silicon Inc.
FROM TECHNICAL PROOF TO COMMERCIAL DISCUSSIONS
Commercial-grade 150 is not an experimental specification. It is a sellable, widely used product grade in today’s market. Importantly, HPQ’s material demonstrated viscosity performance above standard benchmarks for the 150 grade, a key factor in real-world applications where fumed silica is purchased specifically for its thickening and rheological properties.
With validation in hand, HPQ reports that commercialization discussions have continued in parallel, including dialogue around the steps required to move toward an initial commercial-scale facility. While execution of the first plant remains the primary remaining risk, management emphasized that the most difficult technical transition—moving from lab to pilot scale—has already been completed.
STRATEGIC STRUCTURE AND PARTNERSHIP FOUNDATION
The fumed silica initiative is supported by a joint operating structure with PyroGenesis Inc., combining HPQ’s commercial strategy with PyroGenesis’ engineering and process expertise. This structure is designed to reduce execution risk as the project advances toward continuous operation and commercial-scale deployment.
In addition, the LOI framework under discussion contemplates a model where HPQ focuses on production while its partner leverages established downstream capabilities such as packaging and market access—an approach intended to reduce capital intensity and support a more efficient path to market.
MARKET SCALE AND REPLICATION POTENTIAL
Management highlighted that the Canadian fumed silica market alone is estimated at 10,000–15,000 tonnes per year, with material 150 representing a meaningful portion of that demand. Once an initial commercial system is operational, the pathway to growth becomes largely replicative—scaling by adding additional systems rather than reinventing the process.
Beyond grade 150, HPQ believes its technology can be optimized to produce higher-value grades over time, but the current milestone confirms that commercial entry does not depend on future enhancements.
THE OUTLOOK: A PROCESS MOVING FROM VALIDATION TO EXECUTION
With independent customer validation, a defined commercialization pathway, and early planning for a dedicated production site, HPQ has moved its fumed silica initiative into a new phase. The remaining challenge is execution—building and operating the first commercial system—but the company now approaches that step with verified performance data, active industrial engagement, and a clearer line of sight to market demand.
For investors seeking small-cap opportunities where technical risk has been substantially reduced and commercialization discussions are grounded in disclosed customer validation, this interview captures a moment where HPQ’s fumed silica strategy begins to transition from promise to potential production.