PERTH (miningweekly.com) – ASX-listed First Graphene has inked a joint development agreement (JDA) with fellow listed Suvo Strategic Minerals to research and develop low emission cement and concrete products.

The agreement aims to investigate the potential for further improvements in carbon dioxide (CO₂) emission reductions by combining the already successful outcomes achieved from the addition of graphene to cement and concrete with Suvo’s metakaolin derived from fine kaolinite clay that can be used as a partial replacement for clinker in cement to deliver strength and performance improvements to concrete and mortar products.

The joint development being undertaken between First Graphene and Suvo intends to identify opportunities for commercialisation and scaling up of graphene-enhanced metakaolin solutions for use in cement and concrete products.

Under the terms of the agreement, First Graphene will provide research and development (R&D) services, co-develop an R&D plan to produce graphene-enhanced solutions with Suvo, and ultimately focus on scaling up production of the resulting solutions.

Suvo will take responsibility for testing and validation of graphene-enhanced metakaolin products and provision of market data to enable the scale up of production.

“This JDA marks another step in First Graphene’s pursuit of greener solutions for the construction sector. Building on the success we have already demonstrated and are actively commercialising by developing PureGRAPH enhanced admixtures and grinding aids to reduce CO₂ emissions and improve performance in cement and concrete, the agreement with Suvo provides a potential path to realising even greater improvements,” said First Graphene MD and CEO Michael Bell.

“The combination of First Graphene and Suvo’s products, coupled with the strength of our combined R&D capabilities and engagement with global markets, offers significant potential to develop even more robust solutions to help the cement and concrete sectors reduce and ultimately eliminate carbon emissions.”

Suvo executive chairperson Henk Ludik said that the JDA was an exciting opportunity for both companies to develop superior solutions that would be better for the planet.

“Both companies share a common philosophy of investing in R&D that offers the potential for large-scale, successful commercial outcomes and we go into this JDA with some very clear common goals to address the cement and concrete sectors’ carbon reduction objectives. More than four-billion tonnes of cement is manufactured each year, which equates to enough to build a city the size of New York every 40 days, so there’s a sizeable market and a big emission reduction target to address.”