Ann: Significant Fire Retardancy Test Results, page-51

Warwick Grigor made some comments regarding FGR's fire retardancy test results in this weeks FEC weekly

http://www.fareastcapital.com.au/imagesDB/newsletter/WeeklyComm22June2019.pdf

Proof that graphene is a fire retardant game changer

Last Monday First Graphene made an important release regarding the fire retardancy of polyurethane elastomers when they are enhanced with PureGRAPH® at a level of 1%wt. The significance of this news is such that it deserves some extra attention.

Polyurethane materials are used in a wide range of applications such as insulation, protective layers, bedding, foams and automobiles to name a few. Some people may think of the material as a plastic, but this is too simplistic. It is much more than just plastic

One issue with using polyurethane is that it can be highly flammable with the basic material burning readily at atmospheric oxygen levels of 21.5% i.e. at normal oxygen levels we breath every day, unless it has a flame retardant added to the mixture. Most of the commercial fire retardants have issues with toxicity and lowering of the mechanic strength, so they can bring another set of problems

We know that PureGRAPH® has excellent fire retardant properties and this is shown clearly with FireStop™, a revolutionary new fire retardant in a paint form that FGR is working towards commercialising. However, graphene’s fire retardancy extends much further. Recent test work undertaken by FGR and the University of Adelaide has provided the scientific explanation behind what we had already observed; adding 1% PureGRAPH® provided a significant effective increase in fire retardancy of polyurethane materials. Its addition increases the oxygen levels needed to sustain a fire to 31.6%, which is a level much higher than atmospheric oxygen. The polyurethane will not burn on its own unless there is a significant source of added oxygen.

How will this affect our daily lives? Think about insulation material used in packaging, in consumer products and in insulation cladding materials on buildings. Could the use of graphene significantly slow down the spread of the fire in high rise buildings, thereby giving residents much more time in which to escape the building so as to minimise the loss of life? It seems like the answer to this question is a definite yes, though as usual, there is always more test work required for specific products.

Specifically, retardancy in the mining sector

Polyurethanes are used in sacrificial wear liners and in many items of mining equipment and process plants. There is a constant danger of fires with this equipment as we saw recently in the RIO fire in its Cape Lambert screening plant in January, during regular maintenance procedures. It is understood that polymer/rubber liners caught fire. In April 2018, RIO suffered a fire at Yandicoogina that quickly spread along the conveyer belt. In 2017, BHP experienced a fire at the Mt Whaleback treatment plant. While it is difficult to get the exact facts on these fires, anecdotal evidence suggests that flammable polymer/rubber liners were a contributing factor to the extensive damage suffered.

So, FGR is already selling its PureGRAPH® to newGen, which adds it to polymer liners for mining buckets to get better than 50% increases in tear strength and 100-500% better abrasion resistance. As if that wasn’t enough incentive to switch to graphene enhanced liners, the fire retardancy that “gets thrown in for free” makes it a definite must.

Welcome to the graphene age and the benefits it brings. First Graphene is at the leading edge of this revolution in materials, having just received NICNAS approval to sell graphene materials in Australia, adding to the already achieved REACH status in the UK and Europe. Now it is a matter of penetrating markets and building the sales book. The fire retardancy is developing into a major selling point due to it effectiveness and absence of toxicity.