Elcora Resources, a Canadian graphite mining company (with a 40% equity stake in a Sri Lanka based graphite mine) announced plans to become a vertically-integrated carbon company, from graphite mining to graphene production. Elcora will also changes its name to the Graphene Corporation.

The company hopes that controlling all the steps from graphite mining to final graphene production will enable it to optimize the conversion of the processed graphite to bulk, top-down, single or few layered graphene. The company is currently testing several graphene production methods and will soon (before the end of 2014) choose one and scale it up to a "market supportable production rate".

Investment group Alpha Deal Group started covering Lomiko Metals (TSXV: LMR), stating that Lomiko is a "uniquely positioned junior graphite resource company and graphene technology incubator company". Alpha sees Lomiko's value being 166% higher than it's current market price.

Lomiko's current market cap is C$10.24 million. Lomiko holds 4.4 million shares (11.23% interest) of Graphene 3D Labs (TSXV: GGG) - which is worth C$5.85, and Lomiko has cash and equivalents worth a further C$4.86 million. So the company is worth less than its holdings and cash - while in addition it holds the Quatre Mills Graphite property and the Vines Lake property, and has a strategic alliance agreement with Graphene 3D Lab to access technology.

Today there are two main methods to produce graphene. You can synthesize the material, or you can exfoliate it from graphite. Now researchers from Penn State University developed a new way to produce high quality single-layer graphene sheets. They use a method they call intercalation - in which molecules or ions are inserted between graphene sheets in graphite and then these molecules pull out single sheets.

Intercalation was actually used way back in 1841, but it always damaged the sheets because it used strong oxidizing or reducing agents. In this new method, they use a mixture of acids without an oxidizing agent. It was found to work on both graphene and boron nitride. The researchers are now trying to speed up the process to make it scalable.

Following is a sponsored message from Lomiko Metals

Graphene 3D Labs went public on August 11th at $0.40 per share and at the time of writing, it hit a new 52-week high today of $2.09 per share for a gain of 522% in less than two months. Lomiko invested into Graphene 3D Labs earlier this year at an average investment price of $0.12 per share. Lomiko's gains are not yet being reflected in the company's share price.

Germany-based Microdrop Technologies (a private provider of equipment, software and services for advanced precision microdispensing and inkjet printing applications) reports that they tested graphene for for applications in micro printing, 3D printing and other related applications - and it exhibited excellent quality and characteristics.

The company will now start advanced tests for applications such as conductive inks, biochips, biomedicine and nanocoatings. Microdrop used graphene supplied by Australia-based miner company Talga Resources. This is Talga's first graphene sale.

Last month Australia's Strategic Energy Resources (SER) announced that it will focus on graphene-related investments, disclosing that it has an alliance with Monash University and an exclusive license agreement on the energy storage graphene technologies.

Today it was announced that SER and Monash University have been awarded a second ARC Linkage Grant for graphene-based research. The three-year project will cost $375,000 (probably AUD, which translates to $350,000 USD). The ARC will fund $255,000 and the rest will be funded by SER. The project (titled Green Manufacturing of Graphene from Indigenous Natural Graphite and Graphene-based Nanofiltration Membranes) aims to establish a green chemical route for transforming graphites fines into graphene.

Australian graphite company, Bora Bora Resources (ASX: BBR) agreed to acquire up to 50% in Sri-Lanka's RS Mines limited. RS has a graphite mine in Sri Lanka that is currently producing graphite. RSM also developed a process to produce graphene-oxide from this graphite.

RSM is supplying graphene oxide to several companies and institutions - mostly for testing of its own material. The company is the sole supplier of graphite to Norway's Graphene Batteries.

It seems that graphene-based 3D printing is heating up. The latest company to conduct research towards this goal is 3D Graphtech Industries, a new company established by Australian miner Kibaran Resources and the 3D Group.

3D Graphtech (which will actually be established later in 2014) will mainly research the use of expanded graphite for the 3D printing process, but will also research the use of graphene. The company will exclusively source its graphite from Kibrana's Tanzania graphite mine. The company will attempt to engage in collaborative research programs and will seek partnership for this development.

In January 2014, Canadian graphite mining company Mason Graphite announced that it acquired up to a 40% stake in NanoXplore for $700,000.

Yesterday Mason announced that it completed the second tranche of its investment in NanoXplore by investing $350,000 for an additional 20% interest in NanoXplore. As part of the agreement, Mason Graphite was appointed NanoXplore's sales, marketing and distribution agent.

In November 2013, Australia-based miner company Archer Exploration announced that the University of Adelaide has produced a wide number of graphene and intercalated graphite products from Archer's raw graphite ore.

Today Archer announced that it will fund a two-year $200,000 research program at the University of Adelaide to focus on commercial uses for the specific graphite and graphene types originating from Archer's deposits - especially in the agricultural and environmental markets.