first graphene ltd

Funding secured to advance commercialisation of Kainos Technology Posted By Graphene Council, Friday, August 30, 2024 Highlights• Progressing commercialisation of graphite-producing cavitation technology with a grant of ~A$192,000 • Objective is to develop a manufacturing process for making synthetic graphite and pristine graphene • Kainos Technology could deliver a preferred synthetic battery grade graphite source compared to a conventional mining and processingFirst Graphene Limited (ASX:FGR; “First Graphene” or “the Company”) has secured funding for a collaborative research project with Swansea University (“Swansea”) to determine the market potential of the Company’s Kainos Technology. The grant is valued at approximately AU$192,152 and was secured through Analysis for Innovators (A4i) Round 12, Stage 2 funding, delivered by Innovate UK. The funding is specifically for businesses utilising expertise from leading research facilities across the UK to overcome productivity or technical barriers of new technologies towards market readiness. The six-month project will provide a greater understanding of First Graphene’s Kainos Technology and its ability to produce high-quality, battery-grade synthetic graphite and pristine graphene from petroleum feedstock using a scalable hydrodynamic cavitation manufacturing process.This process has also demonstrated the ability to produce green hydrogen as a by-product in previous research by the Company1 . With the technology already proven at the laboratory scale, this project will focus on using controlled experimentation and analysis to interrogate the hydrodynamic cavitation process. This will support the development of modelling techniques at Swansea University that will underpin the Company’s design basis for scaling up the Kainos Technology in collaboration with the energy industry.Decarbonisation potential of Kainos Technology This new process is particularly well suited for oil refineries where high-quality feedstocks and engineering capabilities are available, whilst the green hydrogen by-product can be utilised as a clean and green energy source to reduce carbon emissions. This has been identified as a particularly beneficial technology for the oil and gas sector as it looks towards greener, lower carbon energy options. The process simultaneously helps meet the growing demands for battery materials powering the EV automotive sector by producing high-purity graphitic materials that would otherwise be produced by conventional mining and processing methods.This collaborative project follows First Graphene signing a binding Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Abu Dhabi-based integrated services provider EMDAD group in October 2023.The MOU will result in the two companies developing and providing a proposal to fund a small scale, hydrodynamic cavitation reactor, using First Graphene’s Kainos Technology. The proposal could result in the commissioning of this combined technology for use in the oil industry to convert petroleum feedstock to battery-grade graphite, graphene and hydrogen.First Graphene Managing Director and CEO Michael Bell said: “As global demand for battery-grade graphite and graphene increases, so does the need to find and secure strong supplies of these raw materials. “First Graphene’s Kainos Technology shows real potential as a scalable way to manufacture synthetic graphite and graphene, offering a commercial alternative to mining. “The grant received through the A4I funding competition, via Innovate UK, will greatly support the team of researchers investigating the process behind our hydrodynamic cavitation technology. “I look forward to providing further updates as we advance commercialisation of our Kainos Technology to deliver the materials needed to power global decarbonisation and electrification.”