GRAPHITE ONE REPORTS RESULTS ON MULTIPLE PRODUCT LINES FOR ITS ALASKA GRAPHITE MATERIAL AND PROVIDES UPDATE ON ANNUAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS Independent Test Work Identifies a Range of Targeted End-Uses including:
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GRAPHITE ONE REPORTS RESULTS ON MULTIPLE PRODUCT LINES FOR
ITS ALASKA GRAPHITE MATERIAL AND PROVIDES UPDATE ON
ANNUAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS
Independent Test Work Identifies a Range of Targeted End-Uses including:
• Anode material for advanced Lithium-ion batteries
• Micronized graphite for conductivity enhancement applications
• High-purity graphite-based coatings
• Industrial synthetic diamonds
• Fire retardant/fire suppressant foams
Results are anticipated to Inform Pre-Feasibility Study, Expected for Completion in Fall
2020
2020 Annual Meeting of Shareholders Postponed
May 13, 2020 – Vancouver, British Columbia – Graphite One Inc. (GPH: TSX-V; GPHOF:
OTCQB) (“Graphite One” or the “Company”) announced today that preliminary test work
performed by Graphite One’s independent industrial partner (“IPP”) at an independent
industrial laboratory using graphitic material from the Company’s Graphite Creek project
indicates potential additional products as a complement to the Company’s primary focus on EV
Batteries/Energy Storage Systems, including high-purity coatings, industrial synthetic diamonds,
and fire retardant/fire suppressant foams. Test work also indicates that the non-graphite
“impurities” in the graphitic material contain critical minerals that, like graphite itself, are on
the U.S. Government Critical Minerals List.
“This demonstration work is a welcome indication of the versatility of the graphite hosted in
the Company’s deposit,” said Anthony Huston, President & CEO of Graphite One.
Data generated from these tests are anticipated to inform the Graphite One pre-feasibility
study (“PFS”), which, despite being slowed by the global COVID-19 pandemic, is now expected
to be released in Fall 2020. No additional field work is required to complete the PFS.
The U.S. Government placed natural graphite on its 2018 Critical Minerals List of materials
critical to the national economy and national security of the United States. The United States
currently has no domestic natural graphite production and is 100% reliant on imports. China
produces 70% of the world’s natural graphite supply.1 According to the authoritative US
Geological Survey report, Critical Mineral Resources of the United States (2017): “Graphite is
considered a critical and strategic mineral because of its essential applications in the aerospace
1 Page 72, U.S. Geological Survey, 2019, Mineral commodity summaries 2019: U.S. Geological Survey, 200
p.,https://www.usgs.gov/centers/nmic/mineral‐commodity‐summaries
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and energy sectors (such as refractory and foundry applications in the steel and metal
industries and use in high-temperature lubricants, high-strength lightweight composite
materials, batteries, modern nuclear reactors, fuel cells, electric motors, and evolving electronic
applications that anticipate rapid growth in demand for graphite).”2
The work reported in this press release was performed using the 12,000 pounds of graphitic
material shipped to the IPP announced in May 20193. The IPP conducted primary processing of
the graphitic material, generating graphite concentrate. The concentrate was then purified and
processed into a broad range of value-added grades, which have been sent to potential
customers either as conceptual samples or complete feasibility products.
Concurrently, Graphite One is working on the PFS for the Graphite Creek deposit, which will
address all aspects of a future production-scale processing flow sheet that includes primary
beneficiation of graphite material to concentrate and secondary processing of graphite
concentrate to finished products. The PFS will report on developments with respect to the
graphite samples and is expected to demonstrate the potential of the product portfolio to be
derived from the Graphite Creek deposit.
Graphite Creek’s graphite mineralization was previously reported as being unique and distinct
from other known graphite materials as it exhibits naturally, the morphological characteristics
of already-processed material. To highlight these unique properties, the Company branded
Graphite Creek graphite by the acronym “STAX” - “S”, as in Spheroidal; “T”, as in Thin; “A”, as in
Aggregate; and, “X” as in Expanded – and has now registered the trademark, “STAX®”, in the
United States and Canada. STAX® represents Graphite Creek natural crystalline flake graphite
in a raw or semi-finished form for industrial purposes and for use in manufacturing.
The demonstration work on value-added graphite products using STAX® graphite is outlined
below:
Coated Spherical Graphite (CSPG) Test Work
A representative sample of spherical carbon coated graphite (“CSPG”) has been produced and
submitted to a leading automotive manufacturer under a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA).
Initial results are promising, and testing is ongoing.
2 Page J5, Robinson, G.R., Jr., Hammarstrom, J.M., and Olson, D.W., 2017, Graphite, chap. J of Schulz, K.J.,
DeYoung, J.H., Jr., Seal, R.R., II, and Bradley, D.C., eds., Critical mineral resources of the United States—Economic
and environmental geology and prospects for future supply: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1802, p. J1–
J24, https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/pp1802J.
3 Graphite One News Release May 15, 2019 “Graphite One Announces Initial Shipment of Material to U.S.
Industrial Processing Partner”
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The IPP’s electrochemical laboratory has assembled half and full battery cells with both carbon-
coated and uncoated samples of spheronized STAX® material. The cells were subjected to
short- and long- term cycling. Testing performed on these samples determined that STAX®
material has high packing densities: > 1.0 g/cm3.
The half cells showed more than 170 stable charge-discharge cycles (Figure 1). The reversible
capacity on the first cycle was 357.7 mAh/g, and on the 170th cycle, 354.5 mAh/g.
These cycling results suggest a promising future for the use of STAX® graphite as anode active
materials in rechargeable lithium-ion battery systems.
Graphite One has adopted an inverted purification flow sheet, where concentrate is purified at
the beginning, the opposite of traditional graphite processing flow sheets. As a result, Graphite
One plans to redirect all of the material which does not spheronize into other value-added
applications. This ensures that nearly all of the concentrate material can be utilized and sold to
available high-tech markets.
One of these value-added applications is a conductivity enhancement additive for use in battery
cathodes. To this point, the IPP has successfully conducted milling, grinding, and sizing of
purified material and converted it into non-spherical ultra-high purity graphite which may
qualify for conductivity enhancement grades. The process has generated two relevant products
with 99.99+ wt.%C purity level: expanded, delaminated graphite with mean particle size value
of 23 microns and purified, milled, natural graphite with mean particle size of 10 microns. Both
materials have been tested extensively in alkaline batteries and have also been supplied to a
leading alkaline battery company. Initial feedback has been positive and testing is ongoing.
Figure 1: Long-Term Cycling Data Demonstrates Stability of STAX® Graphite
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Fire Retardant/Fire Suppressive Graphite Foams
Thermally purified STAX® graphite has been successfully intercalated and turned into an
expandable flake product, which was subsequently formulated into fire retardant foam
concentrates. This line of test work is being conducted as part of a joint project with the Naval
Air Warfare Center Weapons Division of NAVAIR, in Ridgecrest, CA.
The IPP has successfully formulated fire retardant foams capable of extinguishing Class B fires
using STAX® purified, expandable graphite. Class B fires are defined as burning oil, gasoline,
diesel, and aviation fuel fires (the most difficult to extinguish). Graphite One and the IPP have
conducted small scale demonstrations highlighting the increased efficacy of intercalated STAX®
graphite in extinguishing oil fires (see Figure 2). Full scale oil fire testing per MIL-F-24385F U.S.
Military Test Specifications is anticipated to take place in the third quarter of 2020.
Figure 2: Before, During, and After Extinguishing Kerosene Fire Using STAX®-Based
Firefighting Foam (Black Specks are Expanded Graphite Worms)
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High-Purity Graphite Coatings
The IPP has assessed STAX® material for use in graphite paints and coatings. Ultra-high purity
STAX® material has been reduced in size to where the mean particle size is under 2.5 µm and
formulated into dispersions. Dispersions were tested in new generation radio frequency and
infrared suppressing paints, anti-corrosive coatings, and ultra-high precision metal working
applications. The tests are focused on supplying the existing DOD supply chains. Extensive
technical data from these tests have been introduced to the Defense Logistics Agency which is
responsible for sourcing materials into DOD supply chains. Work on these value-added
applications continues as Graphite One’s targeted off-take partners in the specialty industries
are receiving prototype demonstration samples and generating technical performance data.
Industrial Synthetic Diamonds as Semiconductor Materials
Purified versions of STAX® material have also been subjected to high pressure - high
temperature reactive synthesis and successfully converted into synthetic diamonds using
industry-standard technologies. Initially, a 6.5 gigapascal press was used to generate synthetic
diamond dust. This is an essential test to preliminarily validate the ability of STAX® material to
be converted into synthetic diamonds. Not every graphite precursor can produce diamonds
with this method as some lose integrity when under high pressure. However, STAX® purified
natural graphite material successfully formed diamond dust under the lower temperature and
pressure conditions. The product that came out from this process can be used “as is” for metal
working applications, such as pigments for lapping compounds and ultra-hard coatings on
drilling, cutting, and grinding equipment and tooling. Diamond dust synthesized from the
thermally purified 80 x 100 mesh graphitic material of Graphite Creek origin mostly formed
octahedron crystal morphologies. This is the preferred morphology due to being the closest
structure to diamond crystals. A typical octahedron crystal formed from STAX® material is
shown in Figure 3.
Figure 3: STAX® Graphite-Based Synthetic Diamond Dust
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The second phase of this development work subjected STAX® material to higher temperatures
and pressures under longer dwell times and resulted in successful synthesis of gemstone-
quality diamonds of 3 carats and larger, one of which is shown in Figure 4.
The next step in testing of STAX® material is to dope large synthetic diamonds with appropriate
elements to produce next-generation semiconductor materials that would replace silicon
wafers in critical applications. For example, where the application temperatures exceed 125° C.
Such applications range from rocketry to heat sinks to new generation electronics and harness-
free critical mobile component assemblies, such as fast-moving aerial systems and specialty
engines. The concept is being reviewed by the engineering community at the Redstone Arsenal,
AL and Army Research Laboratory, PA while the IPP is working on delivering prototype samples
of new semiconductor devices made from Graphite Creek materials.
Indications of U.S. Government-Listed Critical Minerals and Metals
Lastly, when STAX® material is thermally purified using the high temperature process chosen by
Graphite One, the purified graphite flows down the furnace and the impurities sublime into the
flu where they are trapped in the gypsum formed in a dual-alkali scrubber. Graphite One’s
analysis of the chemical composition of trapped impurities indicates that out of 17 rare earth
metals, 16 were present.
Figure 4: Gemstone Quality Diamond Made From STAX® Graphite
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Anthony Huston further commented: “We are excited about the potential for value-added
applications which identify flake graphite from Graphite Creek as a unique resource. All of the
above examples of potential upsides coupled with Graphite One’s smart design choices and
selection of an environmentally responsible processing flow sheet further support the value of
the Graphite Creek deposit and the upcoming PFS that will be unveiled within the next few
months.”
Qualified Person
The technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Dr. Shane
Beattie, the Company’s Chief Technology Officer and a qualified person as defined by National
Instrument 43-101.
2020 Annual Meeting of Shareholders
As a consequence of the need for physical distancing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Board
of Directors of the Company hereby gives NOTICE that the 2020 Annual Meeting of
Shareholders, normally held prior to June 30 of each year, has been postponed to an as-yet
undetermined date which will be advised in due course. The Company will continue to monitor
developments relating to the COVID-19 pandemic and will communicate the record date and
notice of Meeting in accordance with legal requirements. Any inconveniences caused are
sincerely regretted.
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About Graphite One Inc.
GRAPHITE ONE INC. (GPH: TSX-V; GPHOF: OTCQB) continues to develop its Graphite One Project (the
“Project”), whereby the Company could potentially become an American producer of high grade Coated
Spherical Graphite (“CSG”) and other value added products that is integrated with a domestic graphite
resource. The Project is proposed as a vertically integrated enterprise to mine, process and manufacture
high grade graphite primarily for the electric vehicle lithium-ion battery market. As set forth in the
Company’s Preliminary Economic Assessment, potential graphite mineralization mined from the
Company’s Graphite Creek Property, is expected to be processed into concentrate at a graphite processing
plant. The proposed processing plant would be located on the Graphite Creek Property situated on the
Seward Peninsula about 60 kilometers north of Nome, Alaska. CSG and other value-added graphite
products, would likely be manufactured from the concentrate at the Company’s proposed graphite
product manufacturing facility, the location of which is the subject of further study and analysis. The
Company intends to make a production decision on the Project once a feasibility study is completed.
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 or contact:
Anthony Huston
CEO, President & Director
Tel: (604) 697-2862
Email: [email protected]
Investor Relations Contact
1-604-684-6730
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.
This release includes certain statements that may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. All
statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, are forward-looking statements.
Generally, forward-looking information can be identifi ed by the use of forward -looking terminology such
as “proposes”, “expects”, or “is expected”, “scheduled”, “estimates”, “projects”, “intends”, “assumes”,
“believes”, “indicates” or variations of such words and phrases that state that certain actions, event s or
results “may”, “could”, “would”, “might” or “will be taken”, “occur” or “be achieved”.
Forward-looking information in this release includes, but is not limited to, statements regarding the stage
and progress of development of the Graphite Creek Proje ct including the ability to produce spherical
graphite and other graphite related products, timing and anticipated completion of a pre-feasibility study,
results and conclusions of anticipated PFS, impact on the progress due to the COVID-19 pandemic, current
results of test-work, ultimate further and final results of additional development and test-work, estimated
capital and sustaining costs and the availability of equipment, labour and resources required, the