Graphite-Based Foam Fire Suppressant Aims
to Meet Military-Specifications and Also Fire-Fighting Needs for
Local Communities
New Graphite Formulation Could Replace
Carcinogenic and Environmentally-Damaging Incumbent
Material
VANCOUVER, BC, Jan. 16,
2025 /CNW/ - Graphite One Inc. (TSXV: GPH)
(OTCQX: GPHOF) ("Graphite One", "G1" or the "Company"),
reported today that the U.S. Department of Defense's ("DoD")
Defense Logistics Agency ("DLA") has released a video on the
Congressionally-funded project of Graphite One and Vorbeck
Materials Corp. of Maryland and
North Dakota to develop an
alternative to the incumbent firefighting foam used by the U.S.
Military Services and civilian firefighting agencies, using
environmentally-friendly graphite sourced from G1's Graphite Creek
deposit near Nome, Alaska. The
video, showing current testing of the material, can be seen at this
Defense Logistics Agency link,
click here.
"The Defense Logistics Agency, the nation's logistics combat
support agency, works with emerging technologies, we do
innovation…, looking for short and long-term projects related to
new technologies," said Gloria
Edwards, DLA R&D project manager. "This is a
Congressionally-funded project, where we are working with Graphite
One and Vorbeck." The project, funded by a DLA grant of
US$4.7 million, is currently
underway.
"Vorbeck's role is to develop new chemistries and new
formulations to come up with a fluorine-free, PFAS free,
environmentally-friendly, highly effective firefighting foam," said
John Lettow, CEO of Vorbeck
Materials. "Currently, the firefighting foams contain PFAS,
which is carcinogenic, so we are looking for alternatives that
perform similarly to the older products," said Mike Schaffner, Senior Vice President of
Operations for Graphite One. "The graphite derivatives are showing
great promise in this area."
Meeting Military Specifications; Helping Local Community
Firefighters
"Our goal is to have a formulation that will perform at a very
high-level, and can go through military-standard certification,"
continued Mr. Lettow, "and then at the end of that certification,
we would aim to be able to manufacture this… to provide to the DoD.
The Navy is one of the key stakeholders because it has some of the
most hazardous environments…. Airplanes with jet fuel, carrying
large amounts of ordinance in a very confined space where there is
no escape from a fire. So you have to be able to fight those fires
effectively…, and make those areas safe."
The project goes beyond the U.S. Military's exacting
requirements for fire-fighting, as Mr. Schaffner notes: "It really
comes down to how these products perform in the field and how well
they protect the military. But it goes well beyond that: These
foams will be used in residential fire districts to help local
firefighters also."
"The project impacts people's lives in multiple arenas. First of
all are the firefighters themselves, who need an effective way of
combatting complex fuel and chemical fires, secondly you have the
service members and the equipment, and you want to maintain the
safety of the service members and also the equipment
effectiveness," said Mr. Lettow. "Third of all, because the
chemical we're replacing is a persistent chemical in the
environment, this project really affects all of us, in our drinking
water and the chemicals in our bodies, and so it maintains the
health and safety of the firefighters, the service members, and the
general population and the environment."
The DLA grant is one of two DoD grants Graphite One has received
since 2023, the other being a US$37.5
million Defense Production Act Title III to accelerate the
completion of the Graphite Creek Feasibility Study, which is on
track for completion in Q1 2025.
Graphite One's Domestic Supply Chain Strategy
With the United States almost
100 percent import dependent for anode active materials, Graphite
One is developing a complete U.S.-based, advanced graphite supply
chain solution anchored by the Graphite Creek deposit, recognized
by the US Geological Survey as the largest graphite deposit in the
U.S. "and among the largest in the world." The Graphite One Project
plan includes an advanced graphite material and battery anode
material manufacturing plant located in Warren, Ohio. The plan also includes a
recycling facility to reclaim graphite and the other battery
materials, to be co-located at the Ohio site, the third link in Graphite One's
circular economy strategy. The building of these facilities remains
subject to financing.
About Graphite One Inc.
GRAPHITE ONE INC. continues to develop its Graphite One Project
(the "Project") to become an American producer of high-grade
anode materials that is integrated with a domestic graphite
resource. The Project is proposed as a vertically integrated
enterprise to mine, process and manufacture anode active materials
primarily for the lithium‐ion electric vehicle battery market. As
set forth in the Company's 2022 Pre-Feasibility Study,
graphite mineralization mined from the Company's Graphite
Creek Property, situated on the Seward
Peninsula about 60 kilometers north of Nome, Alaska, would be processed into
concentrate at an adjacent processing plant. Natural and artificial
graphite anode active materials and other value‐added graphite
products would be manufactured from the concentrate and other
materials at Graphite One's proposed advanced graphite materials
manufacturing facility to be located in northeastern
Ohio.
About Vorbeck Materials Corp.
Vorbeck Materials, founded in 2006, focuses on developing
innovative products and solutions based on graphene, a disruptive,
highly conductive and strong nanomaterial made of a single layer of
carbon atoms. Our graphene material, VOR-X™, is unique in that we
can produce it at large-scale and integrate it into numerous
solutions. VOR-INK™ formulations harness the exceptional
conductivity of graphene to produce ultra-flexible and robust inks
and coatings for the printed electronics market. Our VOR-X™
technology also delivers demonstrable performance gains in energy
and mechanical applications, breaking traditional technology
trade-offs between typical challenges, such as battery capacity and
power output, or composite material strength versus weight.
Currently, Vorbeck graphene has immediate applications in
high-performance conformal antennas and electromagnetic
interference shielding. Vorbeck manufactures all of its products in
the USA from facilities in
Maryland and North Dakota.
On Behalf of the Board of Directors
"Anthony Huston" (signed)
For more information on Graphite One Inc., please visit the
Company's website, www.GraphiteOneInc.com
On X @GraphiteOne
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services
Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX
Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or
accuracy of this release.
All statements in this release, other than statements of
historical facts, including those related to the successful
development and commercialization of a fluorine and PFAS free
firefighting foam, the anticipated environmental impacts, and
events or developments that the Company intends, expects, plans, or
proposes are forward-looking statements. Generally,
forward‐looking information can be identified by the
use of forward‐looking terminology such as
"proposes", "expects", "is expected", "scheduled", "estimates",
"projects", "plans", "is planning", "intends", "assumes",
"believes", "indicates", "to be" or variations of such words and
phrases that state that certain actions, events or results "may",
"could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be
achieved". The Company cautions that there is no certainty that
tests of the Company's material will be successful or that such
tests will result in the development of successful products.
Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such
forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions,
such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual
results or developments may differ materially from those in the
forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results
to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements
include market prices, exploitation and exploration successes,
continuity of mineralization, uncertainties related to the ability
to obtain necessary permits, licenses and title and delays due to
third party opposition, changes in government policies regarding
mining and natural resource exploration and exploitation, and
continued availability of capital and financing, and general
economic, market or business conditions. Readers are cautioned not
to place undue reliance on this forward-looking information, which
is given as of the date it is expressed in this press release, and
the Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise
any forward-looking information, except as required by applicable
securities laws. For more information on the Company, investors
should review the Company's continuous disclosure filings that are
available at www.sedarplus.ca.
SOURCE Graphite One Inc.