HPQ Silicon says its subsidiary, HPQ Nano, to start manufacturing nano silicon materials with Gen1 reactor

Quebec — Innovative silicon solutions provider HPQ Silicon Resources Inc. (“HPQ” or the “Company”) TSX-V: HPQ; FWB: UGE; Other OTC: URAGF; through its wholly-owned subsidiary, HPQ Nano Silicon Powders inc (“HPQ NANO”), is pleased to announce today that technology provider PyroGenesis Canada Inc. (TSX: PYR) has informed HPQ NANO that phase 1 of the PUREVAP™ Nano Silicon Reactor (“NSiR”) development program has reached the commissioning stage, with the Gen1 PUREVAP™ NSiR now ready to start producing Silicon nano materials.

“The announcement today is indeed a major milestone and we are proud at having played a key role in this accomplishment. We are all extremely excited to have the Nano Reactor up and running, on schedule and on budget, particularly during these trying times,” said P. Peter Pascali CEO and Chairman of PyroGenesis Canada Inc. “The next major step is to get qualified samples into end user’s hands which we are pushing to do before year-end, or shortly afterwards. The more we progress with the Nano reactor the more it seems to us to be a real game-changer. It may very well become the gold standard for making nano Si for the battery industry. Success to date bodes well for the future, and today’s announcement is one major step in that direction”.

PUREVAP™ NSiR LOW-COST SPHERICAL SILICON MATERIALS: A GAME-CHANGING LEAP

Despite strong research and massive investment in Silicon material for batteries, current manufacturing processes are simply not scalable or commercially viable. With a capability of producing tailor-made silicon materials within a wide range (from < 0.20 µm up to 5 µm), the PUREVAP™ NSiR represents a game-changing leap forward in resolving the issues of commercial viability and scalability.

With the Gen1 NSiR now operational, HPQ NANO will be uniquely positioned to be able to offer industry participants a wide spectrum of products for testing, while we advance phase 2 of the PUREVAP™ NSiR development program towards the confirmation of the scalability of the process in order to increase our capacity to meet the anticipated emerging demands from the battery, EV manufactures and other markets looking for nano silicon materials.

Image 1) HPQ NANO Phase 1 and Phase 2 project timelines

“First, let me thank the PyroGenesis team for getting the Gen1 PUREVAP™ NSiR operational, on time and on budget, during these challenging times. This is a major and critical milestone for us. Having the capability to produce Silicon nanopowders and nanowires will allow HPQ to be at the forefront of Nano Silicon for batteries as we continue working on scaling up the capacities of our next generation of PUREVAP™ NSiR reactors. This is another demonstration of the depth and flexibility of HPQ’s R&D consortium as we strive to produce products for renewable energy storage participants and electric vehicle manufacturers, who are searching for cost-effective ways of increasing the Silicon contained in their batteries,” said Bernard Tourillon, President and CEO HPQ Silicon. “Silicon’s potential to meet energy storage demand is undeniable, generating massive investments, and serious industry interest. We are very confident that demand for the Silicon materials we will produce, with our low-cost scalable processes, will be in high demand by batteries and EV manufacturers in this renewable energy revolution.”