First Graphene (ASX:FGR) has extended its joint development and commercialisation agreement with global construction materials group Breedon Group (LSE:BREE) for an additional year.
The agreement now extends until October 2026, building on from the original two-year agreement initiated in October 2023 that carried out trials of graphene-enhanced cement following a multiphase structure.
The partnership has returned improvements of up to 35% to cement production, also decreasing carbon emissions by 15% through the implementation of First Graphene’s PureGRAPH product.
Graphene partially replaces carbon intensive clinkers in the production process of cement. PureGRAPH graphene products are high performing additives used across many consumer and industrial sectors. The PureGRAPH range is designed to enable easy dispersion in a broad range of materials, including plastics, composites, rubbers and elastomers, cement and concrete, and inks and coatings.
Trials also indicated that the product can be included and dispersed through Breedon’s mill and production line without additional processing equipment.
CEO Michael Bell says the partnership has produced “compelling” results so far, proving the benefits to come from adding graphene to cement and concrete.
“The extension of our agreement will ensure further graphene enhanced cement production and application opportunities advance, in collaboration with the broader infrastructure and construction industries,” Bell says.
“We’re already working with Breedon to produce 600 tonnes of cement containing three tonnes of PureGRAPH, which will be used in real-world applications across railway infrastructure, electric vehicle charging stations and roofing tiles.
“These diverse applications demonstrate the versatility of graphene in the global cement and concrete industry, which continues to face pressure to reduce its carbon footprint.”
Graphene is a single-atom-thick sheet of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal lattice. Its unique structure and combination of physical, electrical, thermal, and mechanical properties gives rise to a plethora of applications in various industries.
Graphene is often cited as being around 100 to 200 times stronger than steel by weight, while being extremely lightweight; it has high electrical and thermal conductivity; has flexibility enabling use in bendable electronics and membranes; and pristine graphene sheets are essentially impermeable even to gases such as helium under ideal conditions.
Write to Maddison Elliott at Mining.com.au
Images: First Graphene
