Sri Lanka starts commercial production of wonder material ‘graphene’
Sri Lanka has begun commercial production in a big way of wonder material, graphene which is extracted from the locally mined and the world’s best high pure graphite using latest technology.
The country is exporting graphite without any value addition at a price of US$3 per kg whereas the value added graphene fetches a price of $3000 per kg, industry sources said.
Sri Lanka has exported over 5,000 tonnes of graphite up to date. World demand for this product is expected to reach 4.48 million tons in volume and $17.56 billion in terms of value in 2020.
The production of graphene is expected to increase to 6 tons of graphene oxide and 300 sheets of graphene this year following the latest breakthrough of inventing graphene extraction technology, Manju Gunawardane, CEO Ceylon Graphene Technologies told the Business Times.
Ceylon Graphene Technologies, a joint venture of LOLC Group and Sri Lanka Institute of Nanotechnology (SLINTEC), has developed this latest technology with the aim of placing Sri Lanka in the global market for graphene and associated products.
The novel patented chemically exfoliated Graphene facility of the company uses graphite f rom the mines in Ragedara, Kahatagaha and Bogala.
The natural graphite from the local mines is rich in Carbon, an average of 90- 96 per cent with it reaching as high as 99.6 per cent and has been dubbed the “best graphite in the world”, he said.
Graphene, a two-dimensional crystal of pure carbon, is a superlative material. It is the thinnest and strongest substance known to science – about 100 times stronger than steel by weight, he disclosed.
It is a good conductor of electricity, is stretchable and yet is almost transparent; he said adding that it conducts heat better than any other known substance.
Graphene also acts as a barrier to the smallest atom of gas – helium – and yet allows water vapour to pass through.
The company launched first ever graphene- applied lead acid battery technology together with Associated Battery Manufacturers (Cey) Ltd, a leader in the industry of battery manufacturing in the region, Mr. Gunawardane said.
This technology is ready to be applied in the mass production and soon to be available in the market soon under the lead acid battery range of Exide.
The result optimisation using graphene and its derivatives is expected to be further modified and extensive research is in progress, he revealed.
The company signed an agreement with the US-based National Graphene Association to explore the opportunities of establishing a subsidiary company in the US, he added.
Meanwhile Mr. Gunawardane has been appointed to the Advisory Board of the US association.
The board consists of leaders and experts from commercial and industrial segments, advanced material and technology companies and corporations, national labs, government agencies, investment firms, standard bodies and academic and research institutions.