First Graphene Ltd (ASX:FGR, OTCQB:FGPHF) has teamed up with Suvo Strategic Minerals Ltd (ASX:SUV) to research and develop low-emission cement and concrete products in a bid to capture the 'green' cement market estimated to be worth U$56 billion by 2027.
Both companies intend to further improve CO2 emission reductions by combining the already successful outcomes achieved from the addition of graphene to cement and concrete with Suvo’s metakaolin.
They will also identify opportunities to scale-up and commercialise graphene-enhanced metakaolin solutions for use in these products.
Clear roles
First Graphene will provide research and development (R&D) services, co-develop a research and development plan to produce graphene-enhanced solutions with Suvo and ultimately focus on scaling up production of the resulting solutions.
Suvo, meanwhile, will test and validate the graphene-enhanced metakaolin products and gather market data to scale up production.
Green pursuits
First Graphene managing director and chief executive officer Michael Bell said: “This JDA (joint development agreement) marks another step in First Graphene’s pursuit of greener solutions for the construction sector.
“Building on the success we have already demonstrated and are actively commercialising by developing PureGRAPH® enhanced admixtures and grinding aids to reduce CO2 emissions and improve performance in cement and concrete, the agreement with Suvo provides a potential path to realising even greater improvements.
“The combination of First Graphene and Suvo’s products, coupled with the strength of our combined R&D capabilities and engagement with global markets, offers significant potential to develop even more robust solutions to help the cement and concrete sectors reduce and ultimately eliminate carbon emissions.”
Lower emission solution
Metakaolin is a material derived from fine kaolinite clay that can be used to partially replace clinker in cement to strengthen and improve the performance of concrete and mortar products.
Clinker is a key contributor to the industry’s significant carbon footprint due to its manufacturing process, which involves roasting calcium carbonate materials at extremely high temperatures with CO2 being its by-product.
For every tonne of cement manufactured, up to 900 kilograms of CO2 can be produced.
The metakaolin manufacturing process is carried out at much lower temperatures without any significant CO2 emissions.
“Sizeable market”
“This is an exciting opportunity for Suvo and First Graphene to develop superior solutions that are better for the planet,” Suvo executive chairman Henk Ludik said.
“Both companies share a common philosophy of investing in R&D that offers the potential for large-scale, successful commercial outcomes and we go into this JDA with some very clear common goals to address the cement and concrete sectors’ carbon reduction objectives.
“More than 4 billion tonnes of cement is manufactured each year - which equates to enough to build a city the size of New York every 40 days - so there’s a sizeable market and a big emission reduction target to address.”