Why pick just one stock when you can go all in on the Quebecker Trifecta?
Quebec Innovative Materials Corp (QIMC)
QIMC is a mineral exploration and development company with a portfolio of natural resource assets comprising high grade silica, hydrogen, and helium properties. This includes a 100% interest in the Charlevoix Silica Project, near Clermont, Quebec as well as other mineral properties within the province of Quebec. QIMC also oversees the River Valley Silica Project, located 65km northeast of Sudbury, Ontario, which features a high purity quartz vein sitting directly on the surface (a 300m long x 40m wide area).
Furthermore, QIMC performs pilot processing on industrial minerals as well as refining processes to create custom products. Indeed, QIMC’s high purity quartz deposits could turn out to be the El Dorado of silica mines. Why El Dorado? Well, as the Meriam-Webster dictionary defines it:
‘EL Dorado’ is ‘a place of fabulous wealth or opportunity’, exactly what the QIMC/PYR/HPQ Quebecker Trifecta promises.
It all starts with QIMC which is not only helping to save the planet but also intends to be a sustainable supplier of key resources, essential for advanced EV batteries and the electrification of the green economy. QIMC is also strategically positioned to reap big rewards for shareholders, thanks to fast evolving partnerships with high tech marvens HPQ Silicon & Pyrogenesis Canada. Better yet, QIMC has exclusive agreements with both, primarily as their ‘locked in’ supplier of high quality quartz. All three Quebec-based companies have significant reasons to scratch each other’s backs.
Pyrogenesis Canada (PYR) & HPQ Silicon (HPQ)
PyroGenesis designs, develops manufactures and commercializes advanced plasma processes and sustainable solutions which reduce greenhouse gases (GHGs) and which are economically attractive alternatives to conventional “dirty” processes that plague the steel, aluminum and cement industries, for starters.
PYR’s patented plasma burners are currently used for a wide variety of applications, ranging from iron ore furnaces, to cole oven gas purification. to aluminum dross recovery, to titanium metal powders (industrial 3D printing). Of note, is the plasma burners used as an integral part of PYR’s PAWDS waste destruction system aboard the world’s largest and most technically advanced aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, first deployed in October, 2022. PYR’s plasma torches are also now commercially ready for aluminum dross residue valorization and for aluminum melting & holding surfaces.
Having produced the world’s purest silicon metal (99.96% - 3N+) in collaboration with HPQ, PYR has additional patented plasma torch systems for other diverse uses such as carbon anode baking surfaces, nano-silicon battery powders & fumed silica manufacturing.
“This silicon pour is the crowning achievement in the development of this Quartz Reduction Reactor (QRR) pilot plant; from conception to commercialization,” said Mr. P. Peter Pascali, CEO of PyroGenesis. “We are proud of our team of scientists and engineers who, during this long process, met and overcame all challenges and delays. We are, of course, also very happy for our client, HPQ Silicon, as they now have final proof that this game-changing approach to the creation of high-purity silicon is ready for commercialization.”
With strong institutional support from major shareholder Investissement Quebéc (IQ) PYR’s hi-tech partner, HPQ Silicon, leads the way as the expert in green engineering processes for silica and silicon material manufacturing. Plus, HPQ is strategically positioned to become a vital supplier of engineered SiOx materials for battery anodes as the US and Canadian governments use policy and other financial incentives to actively engage in creating homegrown battery manufacturing ecosystems.
PYR/HPQ clients seek out differing purities of silicon (Si) as feedstock to make a wide range of spherical silicon nano- and micro-powders and wires, for potential use across various applications including as a potential replacement metal in lithium-ion batteries.
Recently placed on the USA's strategic mineral list, quartz-derived silicon has gained significant strategic importance. In fact, high purity quartz (SiO2) plays a pivotal role in two critical technologies shaping the future: the solar panel and EV battery industries. In the realm of renewable energy, quartz is the raw feed source of silicon metal (Si), a fundamental component in producing high-efficiency solar panels. Beyond solar panels, silicon metal is also a promising ingredient in lithium silicon anode batteries, offering the potential for increased energy storage capacity and improved battery performance, underscoring the indispensable role of quartz in advancing sustainable energy and cutting-edge technologies.
“In the Fumed Silica Reactor (FSR) project, PyroGenesis is the unique supplier of a technology capable of using quartz (SiO2) as a raw material to produce commercial-grade fumed silica, in a single step. With the lab-scale production of commercial-grade fumed silica now complete, we now can move towards the long anticipated next phase: a pilot plant scheduled to start operations in the second quarter of 2024,” stated Pascali. “In light of global demand, it is worth noting that the fumed silica market, valued at US$1.3 billion in 2022, is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5% to reach US$2.1 billion by 2032. Fumed silica sales accounted for almost 23% of the global specialty silica market at the end of 2021.”
This expected worlwide growth for sustainable fumed silica is more ‘El Dorada good news’ for the Quebecker Trifecta, given fumed silica’s wide range of applications in the pharmaceutical, agriculture and renewable energy industries, to name a few…
In collaboration with tech partner Pyrogenesis, HPQ also specializes in green engineering processes for silica and silicon material production via the PUREVAP™ Quartz Reduction Reactor. The QRR was designed and built to transform lower-purity quartz (SiO2) into high-purity silicon (Si) in a single step. It uses electric high temperature plasma arc to reduce production costs and significantly lower energy consumption with a smaller carbon footprint compared to traditional methods. In late 2023, HPQ filed a new provisional patent application in France related to a continuous Silicon Oxide (SiOx) manufacturing process based on a modified PUREVAP™ QRR design.
With silicon suboxides (SiOx) as a promising anode material with high lithium storage capacity, it’s not surprising that HPQ Silicon President & CEO, Bernard Tourillon is so excited…“The growing importance of SiOx material, which necessitates 3N+ Purity Silicon feedstock for its production, in the burgeoning multi-billion-dollar battery material market, is a fact that cannot be emphasized enough”.
New U.S. regulations, which establish a 25% ownership threshold for Foreign Entities Of Concern (FEOCs), have created a pressing demand for domestic suppliers of battery materials. HPQ is well-positioned to meet this demand and supply American companies with SiOx materials essential for the electric vehicle industry.
North America looms large as one of the world’s worst carbon emitters and bears a significant responsibility in addressing climate change. The costs of inaction far exceed the investments required for the energy transition.These challenges are not unique to the United States; clean energy companies worldwide are seeking a sustainable future, focused on a zero-carbon electricity grid by 2035.
In summary, the Quebecker QIMC/PYR/HPQ/ Trifecta will be a winning solution not only for North America but for the entire planet! There’s no time to lose - now’s the time to place your bets…
Penny stock share prices at time of writing, March 27, 2024 (in Canadian cents): QIMC 00.01¢, PYR 00.43¢ and HPQ 00.018¢. All 3 trade on the TSX…have fun!
Disclosure: I have a beneficial long position in the shares of one or more of the companies discussed in this article, either through stock ownership, options, or other derivatives. I wrote this article without external assistance, and it expresses my personal opinions. I was not compensated for this article, and I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.
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