The Conversation (0)
Grafoid Inc. was awarded an $8.1 million non-repayable grant by Natural Resources and Minister Responsible for Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) for the production, specifically automation, of MesoGraf™ graphene. Hon. Greg Rickford, Minister of SDTC announced the funding at a news conference in Toronto.
Grafoid Inc. is a privately held graphene research, development and investment company partnered with Focus Graphite Inc. Grafoid hosts MesoGraf’s laboratories and production facilities at its Innovation Park technology center, in Kingston, Ontario, Canada and at its soon to be opened, U.S. facilities in New Jersey. Grafoid co-developed a unique process for transforming graphite ore to graphene, which led to the bulk production of MesoGraf™, a suite of economically scalable graphene products. MesoGraf™ is the world’s first trademarked graphene.
Hydro-Quebec is also one of Grafoid’s first long-term sustainable technology development partners.
As quoted in the press release:
Grafoid Founding Partner and CEO Gary Economo praised Canada’s decision to stake its claim in the graphene space as the world races toward the commercialization of a potentially disruptive, pan-industrial nanomaterial.
“This is a great day for the Canadian graphene industry and for Grafoid, in particular, because it leads us out of the laboratory and into the automated manufacturing of the world’s new wonder material,” he told the news conference.
“Effectively, today’s $8.1million Federal government funding grant enables us to take a giant leap towards graphene’s broader commercialization,” Mr. Economo said. “It will permit us to increase MesoGraf™ production output from kilograms to tonnes within our global technology centre in Kingston, Ontario.
“For this we are truly appreciative of Canada’s actions in recognizing our science and commercial objectives. In the past three years Grafoid has travelled the globe staking our unique position in the graphene revolution. Today we are gratified to do this going forward with the Government of Canada,” Mr. Economo said.
… Grafoid’s Game-Changing Process
Grafoid’s unique graphite ore-to-graphene process produces a material that eliminates cost barriers to graphene’s broad commercialization in a number of industries, some of which include building materials, automotive, aerospace, military, biomedical, renewable energy and sporting equipment.In order to bring those application developments to market Grafoid’s partners require a scaling up of MesoGraf™ production to supply their needs for pre-production development testing and commercial production, and; the expansion of Grafoid’s research and development.
The automation of bulk MesoGraf™ graphene production is a global first. Uniformity and consistency are critical to the development of mass produced commercial applications.
One of the company’s first-to-market MesoGraf™ developments is in the renewable energy storage and power generation sectors. The market for quick charge long-life batteries is vast, and growing.
Hydro-Quebec – one of the world’s premier patent holders and suppliers of renewable energy technologies – is one of Grafoid’s first long-term sustainable technology development partners.
Within six months of development, multiple patents were filed and initial tests of the joint venture’s MesoGraf™ lithium-iron phosphate materials resulted in extreme gains in power performance over conventional batteries.
Grafoid’s corporate goal is not to simply be a graphene supplier but a global partner in commercial application development. With the ability to ramp up graphene output the company’s long-term financial prospects are secured from royalties and licensing fees from jointly developed technologies.
Competitive cost advantages built into an automated MesoGraf™ graphene production regime results in anticipated cost advantages to customers and licensees.
Click here to read the Grafoid Inc. press release
Click here to see the Grafoid Inc profile.