Graphenea recently announced the opening of a new graphene oxide (GO) pilot plant with 1 tonne per annum production capacity. The new plant is meant to significantly increase production capacity for Graphenea (which is already producing GO dispersions, powders, and films), while also allowing for higher quality and batch-to-batch reproducibility. The plant reportedly houses in-line quality control of each individual batch.

Graphenea stated that although the production volume is large, the new plant can accommodate custom requirements regarding flake size, oxygen levels, and other specifications. Orders for multi-kilogram quantities will be processed with short delivery times. The production capacity is multiplied by 20 times compared to capabilities before the pilot plant, allowing for development and industrial scale supplies.

Graphenea stressed that it offers GO customization for integrating into different polymer matrices. This is an important new capability that aims to bring the company a step closer to satisfying the growing graphene/polymer composite market.

The next step is to build a 500 tonne/year industrial plant. The pilot plant construction was funded by the EU Horizon 2020 program “SME Instrument” project GO4APP.