First Graphene (ASX:FGR) is looking to begin commercialising its PureGRAPH graphene product across a ‘wide range’ of industries, including home building, automotive lubricants, and mining industry conveyor belts.
The $39 million market capitalisation company says the cement and concrete industry remains its primary focus, but a portfolio of ‘global clients’ is starting to wake up to the benefits of its graphene additives.
These benefits are being recognised through external trials being conducted by First Graphene’s clients, and the company says the work is progressing towards commercialisation, providing new avenues to solidify its reputation as a global material technology company.
First graphene Managing Director and CEO Michael Bell says the company is working hard to ensure different industries around the world can realise the ‘true impact and benefits’ of graphene as an additive.
“The company is making great progress in the cement and concrete segment, but the opportunities to use PureGRAPH to improve performance in other industries continues to grow and be resourced in the background.
We are excited to be progressing into large-scale trials in multiple ventures, including housing and construction, lubrication, mining and coatings.”
While the company says disclosure sensitives are in place regarding trial details and results, one of the key trials of its graphene product comes from UK-based eco-home builder Vector Homes, which is using PureGRAPH to enhance the strength and fire-retardant properties of its construction materials.
An initial prototype of these eco-homes, which incorporate graphene into the recycled high-density polyethylene (HDPE) beams, has satisfied British building standards.
Further, First Graphene says 2 concept homes have already been constructed, with additional PureGraph-enhanced sustainable construction material applications being investigated with Vector Homes as it develops more prototypes.
First Graphene says this development marks another entrance into the construction market, with the engineering plastics market in the UK alone valued at US$1.34 billion with a compound annual growth rate of 6.53%.
Meanwhile, PureGRAPH has been used in lab and commercial-scale trials with a new unnamed multinational client looking to enhance the capabilities of its lubricants.
The trials have been completed, and First Graphene says the results demonstrate an increase in wear resistance and improved durability when the graphene-enhanced lubricants are applied to bearings.
As such, the trials have provided the First Graphene client to progress to full-production use of PureGRAPH-enhances lubricants before the end of 2024.
In the conveyor belt sector, First Graphene says an Australian business has been testing PureGRAPH in conveyor belts for use in the mining industry.
According to First Graphene, the trials showed that the addition of PureGRAPH to the manufacture of rubber conveyor belts has delivered enhanced mechanical properties, increasing durability and longevity.
The client has subsequently progressed towards commercial trials using prototype graphene-enhanced belts. Results from this work are expected in early 2024.
Further, First Graphene has struck a Joint Development Agreement with Australia-based Tribotech to develop graphene-enhanced rollers for iron ore miners and producers in Western Australia.
The company adds that on top of these three industries, its graphene product is also being tested in the protective clothing, floor coating, and 3D printing markets.
First Graphene maintains that the adoption of a new building material into any industry requires a qualification and trial period to determine the benefits of the new product.
This, the company says, is a ‘cumulative’ process that gathers momentum with each new customer across a range of segments.
First Graphene says it has been on this path for several years and is now starting to see an acceleration of market acceptance.
Images: First Graphene
