Graphene continues to be an important material for the new technology sector in the UK, with applications emerging in the construction, mining, transport, textile and processing industries. Graphene materials bring improvements in sustainability through light-weighted composites and rubbers, enhanced durability in plastics, reduced cement use in construction, low-toxicity fire retardants and high performing batteries and supercapacitors.

Graphene materials must be manufactured with specific size, shape and chemistry to create value in these applications -- requiring carefully controlled manufacturing processes. Most graphene products are manufactured from natural graphite which has been identified as a scarce commodity by the European Commission. For continuing leadership in the graphene industry the UK must have robust, low cost manufacturing routes from a range of feedstocks to deliver high performing graphene products.

Two small UK companies, First Graphene UK Ltd. and Kainos Innovation Ltd. are collaborating to develop a totally new process to manufacture graphene products from low cost petroleum-based feedstocks. The process manufactures high performing graphene products with controlled size, shape and chemistry. An additional benefit of the process is that green hydrogen gas is the only by-product. The by product is accurately described as "green hydrogen" as no carbon dioxide or carbon monoxide products are generated. The project team estimates that from every tonne of petroleum feedstock, 940kg of graphene/graphitic carbon and 60 kg of green hydrogen gas is produced.

The manufacturing process is proven at the bench-top scale and the companies are now seeking government support to validate the process chemistry and optimise the choice of petroleum feedstock, confirm the capture of hydrogen gas and prove the product performance in enhanced lithium ion battery cathodes.

The project will provide First Graphene (UK) Ltd, a UK-based company with access to a multi-billion pound energy storage market.