Crystalline graphite flake is the starting material required to make expandable graphite. During manufacturing, chemicals are trapped between the graphite layers. The graphite expansion initiated from a fire can be more than 100 times its original thickness, resulting in a non-burnable, insulating layer. Expandable graphite flake enables the building products and automotive industries to meet increasingly stringent fire safety codes for wood products and foam insulation panels, putties, coatings and structural panels.
I think we produce Expandable Graphite not expanded graphite so shipping should be no worries.
A wide variety of chemical species have been used to intercalate graphite materials. These include halogens, alkali metals, sulfate, nitrate, various organic acids, aluminum chloride, ferric chloride, other metal halides, arsenic sulfide, thallium sulfide, etc. The primary type of graphite intercalation compound described in this article is the “sulfate” intercalation compound sometimes referred to as “graphite bisulfate”. This material is manufactured by treating highly crystalline natural flake graphite with a mixture of sulfuric acid and certain other oxidizing agents which aid in “catalysis” of the sulfate intercalation. The resultant product is a highly intumescent form of graphite that has proven useful in applications that include fire retardants, high performance gaskets, conductive fillers, electromagnetic pulse and radiation shielding, foundry products, and many others. Above paragraph from https://asbury.com/resources/education/science-of-graphite/expandable-flake-graphite/
Also there were two methods of producing spherical graphite, 1. using acids and the other 2. using heat. So if they choose chemicals for expandable graphite then it might be able to also use chemicals to produce spherical graphite thereby killing two birds with one stone.
Any way that's my take and the procurement of the chemicals required I haven't checked into but am sure it wouldn't be hard to get it from South Africa or Europe.
Cheers AIMO only
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