US-based Carbon Research and Development Company (CRDC), a producer of graphene materials derived from bio-mass, announced that the Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority has loaned $1.5 million to the company towards its carbon research and development project in Wise, Virginia, USA.

CRDC says that according to its plan, the new center will research graphene production technologies, in addition to new graphene applications. CRDC's process converts coal and wood chips into graphene.

CRDC says that it already has two companies interested in its graphene - a bourbon distiller that aims to use graphene as a filtration system, and a European glass company that is interested in glass coatings based on graphene.

CRDC brands its graphene as XPhene.