- Graphite producer Bass Metals (BSM) has struck a deal with the Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne to develop a fireproof panelling product
- Under the agreement, Bass will work with the university to develop advanced materials using expandable graphite and graphene
- Swinburne has already received the first batch of graphite concentrates from Bass’ Graphmada project in Madagascar
- These will be used to create fireproof panels, which can be used as an environmentally friendly and safer substitute to Aluminium Composite Panels
- Bass CEO Tim McManus says the partnership is a major step forward in the company’s goals to progress its downstream development
- Shares in Bass Metals are trading 25 per cent higher this afternoon to one cent each
Graphite producer Bass Metals (BSM) has struck a deal with the Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne to develop a fireproof panelling product.
Under a master research and development agreement, Bass will work with the university to develop advanced materials using Bass’ expandable graphite and graphene concentrates.
The first of these products will be environmentally friendly fireproof panels. Swinburne has already received its first batch of graphite concentrates from Bass’ Graphmada large-flake graphite mine in Eastern Madagascar.
The concentrate will now be purified and manufactured into expandable graphite and graphene.
According to Bass, large-flake graphite — such as the kind produced from the Graphmada site — is a soft carbon mineral currently only found in a few locations across the globe.
The product has both metallic and non-metallic properties, meaning it can be used as a heat and electricity conductor while at the same time having strong heat obstruction and lubricity capabilities.
Importantly, the demand for the material is growing due to the global effort to pursue “green” economies with smaller carbon footprints.
Bass CEO Tim McManus said today’s partnership is a major step forward in the company’s goals to progress its downstream development.
“The technology under development and subject to this agreement with Swinburne is world-leading in its approach and its ambition,” Tim said.
“The company will look to build upon the first project with further development of advanced material products and their uses in new technologies, such as high-end battery and electronic devices.”
He added that the timing of today’s deal complements the company’s growth in the mineral resources sector as it progresses feasibility studies for large-scale graphite mining and processing at Graphmada.
Why fireproof panels?
Bass said one of the main reasons for creating the graphite-based panels is to provide an alternative to Aluminium Composite Panels.
These are a form of external building cladding that uses thin skins of aluminium panels bonded to a non-aluminium core — often a type of plastic known as polyethylene.
Polyethylene does not catch fire on its own, but if it does happen to catch fire, it burns rapidly.
This means in the result of an unexpected fire, buildings using this type of cladding are at risk of major damage — such as the Grenfell Tower tragedy in London in June 2017, which killed 72 people.
Bass’ graphite-based products will provide a substitute to polyethylene and also improve the mould and mildew resistance, acoustic absorption and mechanical strength of the panels as a whole, all the while reducing their weight.
Shares in Bass Metals are trading 25 per cent higher at 1:26 pm AEST to one cent each. The company has a $34 million market cap.