Zenyatta Ventures Ltd, a producer of graphene powder for a range of potential applications, has signed a collaboration agreement with Larisplast Ltd, an Israeli business that specializes in the field of concrete admixtures.
Zenyatta and Larisplast have received grant funding from the Canada-Israel Industrial R&D Foundation to further test the effect of adding graphene generated from Zenyatta’s Albany graphite mine to concrete on a pilot scale. Upon successful completion of pilot plant testing, the companies may form of a new corporation called Newco jointly owned (50/50) by Zenyatta and Larisplast to market the new specialized admixture product globally. Zenyatta would be the exclusive provider of purified graphite to Newco and any other party working with Larisplast on this technology.
The main objective of the collaboration is to develop a new concrete admixture with improved mechanical properties by adding Zenyatta’s graphene. Initial application testing shows that the addition of the company’s graphene to concrete achieves a faster curing time and superior mechanical performance that inhibits premature failure and tolerates large forces produced during earthquakes or explosions, the companies said. Also, this new admixture has the potential to reduce the amount of cement that will be used in construction, thereby considerably cutting carbon dioxide emissions related to its production.
‘We are very excited to start our Phase 2 pilot plant collaboration program with Larisplast after a successful Phase 1 bench scale program performed at BGU. The graphene concrete application can potentially be a significant end use for our graphite material,’ said Aubrey Eveleigh, Zenyatta president and CEO. ‘We are also continuing to test and develop our high purity graphite for Li-ion batteries, fuel cells and powder metallurgy with other global corporations.’
This story uses material from Zenyatta, with editorial changes made by Materials Today. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent those of Elsevier.
