Australia-based technology minerals company, Talga Resources, recently announced impressive initial concrete prototype strength results from trials undertaken at the commercial concrete/cement laboratory of Betotech Baustofflabor in Germany.
Graphene and graphite enhanced cement and concrete are key priority product targets for Talga. Concrete test prototypes were formulated with Talga graphene and graphite additives combined with a European industry cement and aggregate mixture. Results from the trial showed significant increases, about 26% in flexural strength and 14% in compressive strength, using Talga materials over reference concrete at 28 days cure time.
Further optimization of the formulation is planned along with a larger range of performance tests including abrasion, shrinkage and permeability, among other tests. Electrical conductivity tests are also underway. Talga will continue to progress its product and commercialization strategy in the construction sector using these prototype test results as the catalyst to initiate joint development programs with global suppliers.
In September 2016, Zenyatta Ventures announced that it has signed a collaboration agreement with Larisplast, an Israeli business that specializes in the field of concrete admixtures. Zenyatta and Larisplast have both received grant funding from the Canada-Israel Industrial R&D Foundation under the Ontario-Israel Collaboration Program to further test the effect of adding graphene generated from Zenyatta’s Albany graphite to concrete on a pilot scale.