Construction materials

Premier Graphene, a global advanced materials company with a focus on research, production and marketing of eco-friendly graphene, has announced achievements in the integration of graphene with construction materials.  

According to the Company, recent in-house studies have showcased the high quality of graphene-enhanced hydraulic concrete. The findings reportedly point to an unparalleled improvement in the cement’s performance, leading to products of superior quality concrete. This graphene-infused cement exhibits enhanced resistance and strength, alongside quicker drying times, which collectively contribute to considerable cost savings on large-scale construction projects.

First Graphene has announced a third trial with one of the United Kingdom’s largest cement producers, Breedon Group, which will test an optimized formulation of the Company’s PureGRAPH-CEM® product under full-scale production conditions. This trial builds on the work recently conducted in exclusive collaboration with Breedon at its Hope Plant, which confirmed the Company’s ability to produce graphene enhanced cement at an industrial scale.

The third trial incorporates the technical and practical experiences obtained in the first two trials to further optimize the performance of First Graphene’s graphene nanoplatelets. The trial will primarily focus on testing a new grade of graphene, PureGRAPH-CEM®, under full- scale cement production conditions at Breedon’s Hope Cement Works facility in Derbyshire, United Kingdom.

Directa Plus has announced the installation of GiPave® at the Imola Circuit ahead of the upcoming Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix in May 2024, as part of the Formula 1 World Championship, making it the first circuit to feature green, sustainable and high-tech asphalt utilizing graphene and recycled plastics.

GiPave® was developed by Iterchimica and resulted from a multi-year research program conducted in collaboration with G.Eco of the A2A Group, the University of Milano-Bicocca, and Directa Plus. The product uses graphene supplied by Directa Plus alongside hard-to-recycle plastics, such as certain types of toys, fruit crates, and old CD cases that would not normally be recycled. The asphalt containing GiPave® can itself be entirely recycled, further reducing waste and the need for new materials.

Today we have published the latest edition of our Graphene Construction Materials Market market report, a comprehensive guide to the world of graphene-enhanced construction materials. The edition, now updated to April 2024, includes over a dozen updates, new companies, new research results and more.

Reading this report, you'll learn all about:

• The advantages of using graphene in construction materials
• Companies involved in this industry
• Projects and trials underway today
• Research activities

The report package also provides:

• Datasheets and brochures from leading companies
• A look into how graphene can reduce carbon emissions
• A look into Chinese graphene construction materials projects
• Free updates for a year

This Graphene Construction Materials market report provides a great introduction to graphene materials used in the construction industry. It is a must-read guide for anyone interested in understanding the current market, mapping the companies involved and evaluating the future of the construction industry.

First Graphene has announced that continued positive results have been reported in field trials of its graphene enhanced cement.
The graphene enhanced concrete slab, which incorporates the Company’s PureGRAPH, reportedly continues to perform well, reaching over 200 days in operation at a wheel washing facility at a major highway infrastructure project in South East England.

A core sample (L), and samples being removed from the graphene enhanced concrete slab in the UK. Image credit: First Graphene

The slab has maintained its strength and integrity, with a complete absence of defects, damage or deterioration reported by scientists and engineers investigating the project. The concrete slab was prepared using a graphene enhanced CEM II A/L concrete mixture, produced by Breedon during site trials last year.

It was reported that an ambitious project between United Utilities and the University of Manchester to put green concrete to the test in the water sector has taken an important step forward. The University of Manchester’s Graphene Green Concrete is one of the partners taking part in the water company’s latest Innovation Lab – and now the first test pour of the material has taken place.

Graphene Green Concrete was developed by a team at the university as a sustainable alternative to standard concrete. Instead of using virgin aggregate material, the concrete uses 100% recycled aggregate combined with tiny amounts of graphene to reduce its overall carbon impact.

Rice University researchers have found that graphene derived from metallurgical coke, a coal-based product, could serve not only as a reinforcing additive in cement but also as a replacement for sand in concrete.

"This could have a major impact on one of the biggest industries in the world," said James Tour, Rice's T. T. and W. F. Chao Professor and a professor of chemistry, materials science and nanoengineering. "We compared concrete made using the graphene aggregate substitute with concrete made using suitable sand aggregates, and we found our concrete is 25% lighter but just as tough."

Black Swan Graphene has announced that its partner, Nationwide Engineering Research and Development ("NERD"), the maker of Concretene, a graphene-enhanced concrete admixture ("Concretene"), has executed a development agreement with Roger Bullivant Limited. Roger Bullivant is part of Soletanche Bachy, a foundations company and part of VINCI, the French construction, infrastructure and energy group of companies with €60 billion in annual revenue. The agreement aims to begin commercial deliveries in Q4 of 2024.

Support for the project from Roger Bullivant includes a proposal for establishment of a Concretene pilot manufacturing plant at its headquarters in the United Kingdom. This pilot manufacturing plant should enable NERD to prove the viability of its manufacturing proposition towards much wider scale-up and roll-out to the United Kingdom and international concrete industry.

Novusterra, a company specializing in the development and production of carbon nanomaterials and graphene to the infrastructure, agriculture, and electrification economy, has announced that its patented technology to produce carbon nanomaterial additives for concrete and asphalt pavements is being used as the exclusive patented technology in a comprehensive research project to improve the future durability of airfields for the United States Air Force.

Greg Jensen, CEO of Novusterra, commented, "We are honored to serve alongside our partners at Kenai Defense, Texas Tech University, and the United States Air Force as we use our exclusively licensed patents to better serve our beloved United States Air Force as we work to improve the durability of their domestic and forward deployed airfields. We are confident that this partnership, among dedicated and patriotic Americans, will make both our military and ultimately our Nation's infrastructure even stronger. The demand for infrastructure projects worldwide continues to accelerate due to rebuilding, energy transition, and overall government stimulus, and we are well-positioned to provide advanced, high-value technology to help produce better, more durable, and greener materials and products to support such growth of modern infrastructure."

Blacklidge Emulsions, a Mississippi-based company that develops asphalt technology, recently announced that it is developing next-generation asphalt products enhanced with graphene. The developement will be done through a collaboration between Blacklidge and TLC Products. The two companies are combining their respective niche expertise to further the performance, safety and sustainability of asphalt pavement throughout the U.S. and the rest of the world.

“A little bit goes a long way,” says Charles Chang, founder of TLC. “Our patented process, licensed from Rutgers University, produces covalent bonded graphene mixed with various polymers to dramatically improve their mechanical properties. We use graphite and recycled plastics as raw materials, opening a new path to bring low-cost graphene to industries like asphalt in ways never thought possible on such a broad scale”. Among other benefits, TLC’s graphene-composites will absorb ultraviolet light from the sun and reduce degradation of the organic components of the “glue” that holds asphalt together –– often the weakest link contributing to pavement breakdown.