Graphene material is an emerging market opportunity with so many exciting applications. The challenge for a new high quality graphene material supplier is to define the priority market segments offering the best value creation potential. For example is the opportunity in high strength tyres, concrete, solar cells, medical materials, aerospace materials, or perhaps batteries?

ZEN Graphene Solutions Ltd. (TSXV: ZEN) is a world leading developer of high quality graphene material. ZEN’s Albany Graphite project hosts a large and unique high quality deposit of crystalline graphite.

A summary of the Albany Graphite Project in Canada

Graphene opportunities for ZEN Graphene Solutions

The Company is focused on 5 market verticals that have already attracted significant interest from researchers that are gaining a newer understanding of how high quality graphene’s unique properties can improve existing products. The 5 vertical markets are the aerospace industry, the biomedical industry, water treatment, transportation, and civil engineering.

ZEN’s Co-CEO, Dr. Francis Dubé states: “Our model of bringing together end-users with specific Graphene-related opportunities and researchers from top Canadian Universities to provide industry specific graphene solutions is proving to be attractive to all parties. We are creating win-win-win scenarios for everyone involved as we help solve industry challenges in delivering the power of Graphene to end-users. Our work is also bringing leading edge research projects to Canadian academia and creating demand for our Graphene products while developing potentially valuable intellectual property (IP) protected inventions.”

Graphite tailings as a partial replacement for cement can also reduce CO2 emissions

One of the company’s ongoing developments into IP is the latest result of testing to utilize the tailings from its Albany Graphite project as a replacement or partial replacement for cement. Early results (announced Feb 21, 2019) show huge promise and if successful would not only reduce tailings disposal but potentially create a new by-product and new revenue stream for the Company.

ZEN’s Co-CEO, Dr. Francis Dubé continues: “Cement production from limestone is a significant source of CO2 emissions accounting for 8% of global emissions. Every ton of cement that we can replace with our tailings material would potentially save up to approximately one ton of CO2 emissions.”

The research work replaced 10 and 20% of a cement mixture with ZENs tailings. The 10% had a compressive strength rating improvement of 2% and the 20% mixture had a ~20% ratings improvement. These results are significant as current cement used in the construction industry (Eg: low and mid rise buildings, bridge decks and foundations) have a compressive strength requirement ranging between 20 and 40 MPa. These highly encouraging results show significant promise for ZEN to now push forward with further development work and the Company now plans further tests that will optimize the use of Albany Graphite tailings as a partial cement replacement. This will also include the potential to add ZEN graphene to the tailings mix.

Dr Ahmad Rteil stated: “These results are very promising. Partial replacing cement with tailing material could have a significant financial and environmental impact on the concrete industry by being able to deliver a better product while reducing a carbon footprint.”

ZEN Graphene Solutions development timeline

ZEN is now actively collaborating with 22 industrial end users and 10 Canadian universities. ZEN is also receiving significant interest from multiple Canadian government agencies who have already directly contributed more than $2 million to ZEN’s graphene research and development work.

ZEN is not only sourcing new markets for its products, they are also creating new markets by developing new products such as stronger cement. Further positive results could see a revolutionary cement product come out of ZEN’s Albany Graphite project.

It is definitely exciting times for the company as they continue to evolve and innovate.