U.S. Department of Defense's Defense Logistics Agency Highlights Graphite One and Vorbeck Materials' Project to Develop Environmentally-Friendly Graphite-Based Foam Fire-Fighting Material Graphite-Based Foam Fire Suppressant Aims to Meet Military-Specifications and Also Fire-
U.S. Department of Defense's Defense
Logistics Agency Highlights Graphite One and
Vorbeck Materials' Project to Develop
Environmentally-Friendly Graphite-Based
Foam Fire-Fighting Material
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.
View original content to download multimedia:
http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/January2025/16/c9152.html
%SEDAR: 00025247E
For further information:
Anthony Huston, CEO, President & Director, Tel: (604) 889-4251, Email:
[email protected]; Investor Relations Contact: Tel: (604) 684-6730,
CO: Graphite One Inc.
CNW 07:00e 16-JAN-25