MONTREAL, Aug. 18, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PyroGenesis Canada Inc. (https://pyrogenesis.com) (TSX-V: PYR) (OTCQB: PYRNF) (FRA: 8PY), a high-tech company, (the "Company", the “Corporation” or "PyroGenesis") that designs, develops, manufactures and commercializes plasma atomized metal powder, plasma waste-to-energy systems and plasma torch systems, is pleased to announce today that it has signed a contract for approx. $3MM (the “Contract”) with HPQ Nano Silicon Powders Inc (“HPQ NANO” or the “Client”), a wholly owned subsidiary of HPQ Silicon Resources Inc (“HPQ”).
This Contract has been developed to exploit the benefits of the novel PUREVAP™ Nano Silicon Reactor (NSiR) to make nano Silicon powder with the battery market as a principle target. Specifically, this program has been divided into two phases; i) to modify the existing GEN2 PUREVAP™ QRR in order to produce silicon nano powders and nanowires needed for the next generation of Lithium-ion (Li-ion) Si batteries, and ii) to design and manufacture a semi-continuous process system with a commercial production capacity of at least 300 kg/month (or about 3.5 MT/year) of nano silicon powders.
Research1 indicates that replacing graphite with nano silicon powders could allow the manufacturing of high-performance Li-ion batteries with the capability of delivering an almost tenfold (10x) increase in anode capacity, inducing a 20-40% gain in the energy density of the next generation of Li-Ion batteries. The Li-ion battery market size is estimated to grow from USD 44.2 billion in 2020 to USD 94.4 billion by 2025, equivalent to a CAGR of 16.4%.2 Manufacturing of Si nano powders is not yet commercially feasible with selling prices of US$ 30,000/kg.3 (Please refer to HPQ press release dated August 18th, 2020 for further details).
This Agreement includes $2.4MM for the sale of the intellectual property (IP) rights to the PUREVAP™ NSiR process, together with a 10 % royalty on the Client’s future sales (“Royalty”) (with set minimums). The IP sold relates exclusively to the manufacturing of nano silicon powders and wires by HPQ NANO. PyroGenesis will retain a royalty-free, exclusive, irrevocable, worldwide license to use the System for all other purposes. This Royalty stream can at any time be converted by PyroGenesis into a 50% ownership of the Client.
“This Agreement represents another significant milestone in our relationship with HPQ. Battery storage is the future and it is indeed exciting for us to now be using our plasma expertise in addressing the challenges facing the lithium battery market,” said M. P Peter Pascali, President and CEO of PyroGenesis. “This milestone is also a testament to what can be achieved when two companies, and their Boards, work together with a common purpose and a clear understanding of the many unforeseen challenges in bringing such product lines to fruition.”