PyroGenesis Takes 50% Stake in Fumed Silica Technology Company
PyroGenesis Inc. has completed the acquisition of a 50% ownership interest in HPQ Silica Polvere Inc., a company focused on commercializing a plasma-based fumed-silica production process.
PyroGenesis obtained the interest by exercising a previously established purchase option that converted a 10% gross-sales royalty into equity. HPQ Silicon Inc. and PyroGenesis now each own 50% of HPQ Silica Polvere.
The company’s primary technology is the Fumed Silica Reactor, originally developed and built by PyroGenesis. The process is designed to convert quartz directly into fumed silica in a single processing step.
The companies position the technology as an alternative to conventional processes that rely on chlorosilane feedstocks and generate hydrogen chloride as a byproduct. Pilot work has produced material the companies describe as commercial-grade “150” fumed silica.
PyroGenesis will continue as the exclusive equipment supplier for commercialization of the reactor.
Fumed silica is used in coatings and other formulations for functions including rheology control, anti-sag and anti-settling performance.
The companies said they are discussing potential commercialization opportunities with several parties. No definitive commercial agreement has been signed for those projects, and no commercial manufacturing facility has been committed.
The transaction is relevant to coatings manufacturers following rheology modifiers because fumed silica is widely used to control flow, settling and sag, while the technology could eventually provide an alternative production route for the additive.
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