Volt Carbon Technologies (TSX-V:VCT) has made diamonds out of the -30+50 mesh natural flake graphite taken from Green Battery Minerals’ (TSX-V:GEM) Berkwood Graphite Project in Québec.
Volt Carbon aims to advance to the next development phase by synthesising diamonds for wafer structures in semiconductor and medical applications.
This innovative approach highlights the company’s strategy to maximising the potential of its low-oxidation graphite concentrate – a key benefit of its dry separation process, and to delivering high-value products with tangible carbon offsets across diverse industries.
In conjunction with Green Battery Minerals, Volt Carbon produced a graphite concentrate blend developed explicitly for diamond synthesis. This graphite was converted into synthetic diamonds using the high pressure-high temperature (HPHT) method.
The specially purified -30+50 mesh natural flake graphite, produced from Berkwood, was transformed into near-gemstone-quality crystals ranging from 2 to 5 carats.
Volt Carbon’s dry separation techniques preserved the natural catalyst materials needed for the graphite-to-diamond transformation in the HPHT reaction chamber.
Green Battery reports the results matched competitor graphite materials processed through flotation and chemical separation. A third-party assessment confirmed the effectiveness of Volt Carbon’s processed graphite in synthetic diamond production.
It was observed that the high graphitic structure and low oxidation characteristics of Green Battery’s graphite enabled diamond synthesis at temperatures up to 200 degrees Celsius lower than typical commercially available flake graphite concentrate, potentially reducing energy use costs and carbon footprint.
Green Battery graphite material was combined with additional catalyst materials and compressed into diamond seeds before entering the HPHT process.
“The outcome demonstrated that Green Battery’s modified flake graphite concentrate has the potential for the production of high-quality diamond structures ideal for various applications, including gemstones, metalworking, lapping compounds, coatings for cutting, drilling, and grinding tools,” Green Battery reports.
Volt Carbon CEO and President V-Bond Lee, says in the company’s first attempt, it nearly reached gemstone-quality diamonds.
“We are excited about this material and will continue to develop our natural flake graphite for both gemstone, industrial, and semiconductor applications. This unique material blend will be available in our online store next month,” the CEO says.
Tom Yingling, CEO and President of Green Battery adds the company is very pleased Volt has been able to create diamonds from graphite sourced from the Berkwood project.
“It takes a special type of graphite to create diamonds, and most graphite is not suitable. This new breakthrough reconfirms the exceptional metallurgy and unique characteristics of Green Batteries graphite,” Yingling says.
“Traditionally, Graphite with this unique exceptional metallurgy sells for a premium, and the Company hopes to benefit from this.”
The Berkwood Graphite Project is located within the jurisdiction of Québec, in the Manicouagan Regional County Municipality, three hours driving time from the city of Baie-Comeau. Easy access is provided via a major secondary road and numerous tertiary and forest roads that traverse the property.
The Zone 1 resource lies 8 km southwest of Nouveau Monde’s (NYSE-NMG) deposit which has a C$3.5 billion NPV on it. Recently Nouveau Monde announced a US$150 million dollar financing and offtake agreements with both General Motors and Panasonic.
| So what is graphite? Graphite is a naturally occurring form of crystalline carbon found in metamorphic and igneous rocks. It is a native element of extremes. Graphite forms when carbon is subjected to heat and pressure in Earth’s crust and in the upper mantle. Most of the graphite seen at Earth’s surface was formed at convergent plate boundaries where organic-rich shales and limestones were subjected to the heat and pressure of regional metamorphism. This produces marble, schist, and gneiss that contain tiny crystals and flakes of graphite, as per Geology.com. | When graphite is found in high enough concentrations, these rocks can be mined, crushed to a particle size that liberates the flakes, and is processed by gravity separation or froth flotation to remove the low-density graphite. It is extremely soft, cleaves with very light pressure, and has a very low specific gravity. In contrast, Geology.com notes it’s extremely resistant to heat and nearly inert in contact with almost any other material. These extreme properties give it a wide range of uses in metallurgy and manufacturing. |
Write to Adam Orlando at Mining.com.au
Images: Green Battery
