Still thinking out of the box, having far fetched ideas…
A while back I read that carbon nanotubes could be used with silicon in anodes to improve battery performance. I know that Pyro has already worked and succeeded in making carbon nanotubes. That could be a further evolution to HPQ’s project.
1- QRR - Reduce quartz to silicon.
2- Transform silicon to SiOx. - Sell SiOx to graphite producer.
3- Produce graphite - Mix it with SiOx - Produce battery anodes
4- Produce carbon nanotubes – Mix it with SiOx – Produce improved battery anodes.