Grafite e grafene i materiali del futuro ? (1 Viewer)

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Mason Graphite Announces the Acceptance of its Environmental Impact Study by the Quebec Government

June 6, 2017
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MONTREAL, QUEBEC--(Marketwired - June 6, 2017) - Mason Graphite Inc. ("Mason Graphite" or the "Company") (TSX VENTURE:LLG)(OTCQX:MGPHF) is pleased to announce material progress in its permitting process related to the Lac Guéret project with the acceptance (la "recevabilité") of its Environmental Impact Study (''EIS") by the Minister of Sustainable Development, Environment, and the Fight against Climate Change ("MDDELCC"). The EIS, originally filed in November 2015, will now be rendered public in its complete form. A summary was presented to the hosting populations and made publicly available in June 2016, summary on which they provided questions and comments which were taken into consideration in the final version of the EIS.

From a process standpoint, the file now progresses towards the Bureau d'audiences publiques sur l'environnement ("BAPE") (public hearing office on the environment). This government body will make available to the hosting populations the EIS in its entirety for a prescribed period of 45 days, at the end of which the Minister will receive a factual report on the conduct of the information and consultation period. The Minister will then determine whether a formal public hearing process is required prior to the determination of the project's eligibility to receive its final general certificate of authorization.

Mason Graphite has already conducted, in the last 4 years and more actively in the last 18 months, several general and focused information meetings with the active participation of the communities of Baie-Comeau and Pessamit. Based on those interactions, Mason Graphite indicates that the local support seems to be positive. Therefore, the timeline triggered by this milestone should allow Mason Graphite to achieve its goal of commencing construction later this year. The 45-day information period will commence on June 13th.

Benoît Gascon, President and CEO of Mason Graphite, commented: "On behalf of everyone at the Company, I would like to thank everyone involved at the MDDELCC for their work and continued assistance throughout this process. The Company would also like to thank the communities of Baie-Comeau and Pessamit for their engaged and active participation which makes possible the social engagement necessary to sustainable development. The Company also recognizes the support provided by the Société du Plan Nord and the RMBMU (Réserve mondiale de la biosphère de Manicouagan-Uapishka)."

UPDATE ON THE CONSTRUCTION OF A ROAD SEGMENT TO MASON GRAPHITE'S SITE IN BAIE-COMEAU

In a prior communication, Mason Graphite indicated that a contract had been awarded by the City of Baie-Comeau for the construction of a 1.2 km road segment, along with all related services, linking the Company's plant site, in the Industrial Park Jean-Noël-Tessier, to the neighboring highway. The Company is pleased to report that significant progress has been made such that access to the plant site should be completed before Mason Graphite begins construction. This road segment is Government funded and its construction has been specifically advanced for Mason Graphite

 

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Leading Edge Materials Partners in Graphene Aeronautic Composite Technology Project Using Graphite from the Woxna Project, Sweden
Published by Craig P at 8th June 2017
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Vancouver, Canada – Leading Edge Materials Corp. (“Leading Edge Materials”) or (the Company”) (TSXV:LEM) (OTCQB: LEMIF) is pleased to announce the commencement of a VINNOVA funded research project, where the Company is a founding participant, involving the use of graphite and graphene in high performance polymeric composite materials. The project, entitled “Graphene Modified Composites for Long-Term and High-Temperature Applications” has a focus on aerospace and aeronautic applications, and aims to develop graphene modified polymeric materials using graphite sourced from Leading Edge Material’s Woxna project in Sweden.

Aims of the Project:

• develop polymeric composites which can withstand high temperatures and humid environment at long-term exposure by using graphene as diffusion barrier;
• at least 20% weight reduction in aircraft at the system level;
• Improve nano-safety and communicate with partners of how to be more energy-effective from the production of graphene to the manufacture of targeted structure/part and how to improve the sustainability of technologies to be developed.

The project brings together an entire Swedish value chain, from a supplier of graphite to end users of high performance materials. Industrial partners include GKN Aerospace Sweden AB (formerly Volvo Aero) and Nexan Chemical AB, while the materials research will be driven by Swerea SICOMP AB. The total budget is SEK1.7 million (approximately CA$260,000) in which VINNOVA funds 50% and industrial partners contribute 50% in kind, and the project is scheduled to run until Q1 2019.

Blair Way, President and CEO, stated “Sweden is a long-term leader in aeronautics, with both the research capacity and deep industrial support to make rapid progress in the development of new materials. We are pleased to be involved in this targeted research to identify new high value applications for graphite and graphene, and are excited to see Woxna graphite being instrumental within such cutting edge materials.”

Graphene is a thin layer of pure carbon, being the one of the thinnest, lightest and strongest compounds known to man. Leading Edge Materials first produced graphene from graphite from the Woxna mine in 2016, in partnership with 2D Fab AB.

The Project is driven by the demand from aerospace and aeronautics industries for high performance lightweight materials. Graphene-modified resins will be researched to validate their potential for surface protection or as a matrix in composites for high-temperature and barrier applications.

Graphene modified materials may provide polymeric composites suitable for use in long-term high temperature and high humidity stability applications, such as aircraft engine parts, with lower weight and enhanced mechanical properties. The project targets a 20% weight reduction in aircraft at the system level, making way for lightweight, highly thermal resistant and more durable composite components. The enhanced durability at high temperatures will increase the application of polymeric composite that can replace metal structures in the high temperature regions of aircraft. The improved mechanical properties and stability from less moisture uptake will also expand the use of products/components already made with composites in continuous operation where temperature is below 150°C.

 

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Zenyatta Ventures and Lakehead University Announce Next Scale-Up Graphene Oxide Program for Environmental and Energy Applications



Thunder Bay, ON



15 June 2017



Zenyatta Ventures Ltd. (“Zenyatta” or “Company”) (TSXV: ZEN) is pleased to announce a program for a scaled up production method of the Company’s graphite to graphene oxide (“GO”) for applications in water remediation, electrochemical sensors, supercapacitors and Li-ion batteries. The program is receiving grant funding from the Ontario Centres for Excellence (OCE) to allow a team of scientists under the direction of Dr. Aicheng Chen at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada to carry out this advanced nano-material research.

Dr. Aicheng Chen commented, “We found Zenyatta’s high-purity Albany graphite to be an ideal material for the production of graphene oxide and subsequent environmental and energy application development”.

The World Bank considers water security to be one of the top priorities. Water used for drinking and agriculture is under a global risk with a projected 40% shortfall between forecast demand and supply by 2030. A graphene-oxide membrane exhibits some unique properties and may drastically improve the efficiency of desalination and water remediation. In addition, the world deals with threats to human health and pollution due to the increase of various toxic metal ions entering the environment. GO and modified GO may facilitate the development of high-performance electrochemical sensors to effectively detect and monitor these pollutants.

Dr. Aicheng Chen (middle) holds a dispersed Zenyatta GO sample with Dr. Boopathi Sidhureddy (Postdoctoral Fellow) right and Antony Raj Thiruppathi (PhD student) left, Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario.



The OCE Voucher for Innovation and Productivity II (VIP II) program is titled "Fabrication of Graphene Based Nanomaterials from Zenyatta Graphite for Energy and Environmental Applications". The OCE VIP II helps established Ontario-based companies develop, implement and commercialize technical innovations by supporting partnerships with publicly-funded post-secondary institutions. The focus of the research work will be on scaling up production methods for Zenyatta’s graphite to GO, a first critical step towards commercialization of the technology. The OCE VIP II $100,000 grant will be administered over two years and Zenyatta will be contributing $50,000 in cash and $60,000 in-kind support to the project. This OCE grant work will be a continuation of the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada (“NSERC”) Collaborative Research and Development (“CRD”) grant awarded to Dr. Chen, Professor of Chemistry and Canada Research Chair in Materials and Environmental Chemistry in 2015.

Dr. Bharat Chahar, VP of Market Development for Zenyatta, stated, “The Company is excited to continue advancing GO research with Dr. Chen and his research team especially for energy applications. Zenyatta recently announced the successful testing of the Company’s graphene oxide material by a leading U.S. based advanced materials company developing silicon-graphene anodes for the next generation of lithium-ion batteries. The Company is playing an active role by providing consistent high-purity Albany graphite test samples for collaborative research and we are convinced of the global importance of graphene and GO materials for disruptive technologies.”

Aubrey Eveleigh, President and CEO stated “We are very pleased to receive recognition and support from OCE. This support complements our various collaborative partnerships and allows us to produce larger scale samples of graphene oxide which will permit continued application development. The Albany project has the potential to produce high-purity graphite product that could lead to high-tech, value-added business opportunities to emerge in Ontario and Canada. On behalf of Zenyatta and the scientific team at Lakehead, I would like to thank the Ontario Government for this important support in developing a one of a kind product targeting the cleantech sector.”

This VIP II project has evolved directly from the current successful NSERC CRD project, and the primary purpose will be to facilitate the development of novel Zenyatta graphite based products (graphene oxide (GO) and derived materials) that were discovered during the current NSERC CRD project for commercial applications and announced on 1 March 2017. Scaling up the production method will be the first significant step towards commercialization of the technology. The feasibility and limitations of the developed methodologies for the large lab-scale processes will be assessed.

 

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June 16, 2017
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PESSAMIT, QUEBEC--(Marketwired - June 16, 2017) - Mason Graphite Inc. ("Mason Graphite" or the "Company") (TSX VENTURE:LLG)(OTCQX:MGPHF) and the Innu Council of Pessamit today signed the Mushalakan Agreement, an Impact Benefit Agreement ("IBA") resulting from the 2014 Cooperation Agreement between the Parties.

The Mushalakan Agreement, negotiated directly between the Pessamit Council and the executives of Mason Graphite, reflects the willingness of the Parties to work closely together to ensure that the Lac Guéret graphite mining project is a success and benefits the Pessamit Community and the population of Manicouagan. In a same voice, Chief René Simon and Benoît Gascon, CEO of Mason Graphite, said they were very pleased with the agreement and welcomed this new collaboration between the Pessamit First Nation and the Company. "We are very proud to announce today the Mushalakan Agreement, which is based on a principle of equity between nations. This Agreement will benefit the people of Quebec and the Pessamiuilnut with respect of their rights and their territory" said Benoît Gascon. On his side, Chief Simon emphasized the Corporation's exemplary approach to this project: "From the outset, Mason Graphite acted with great respect and ethics towards our First Nation. The approach undertaken by Benoît Gascon and his team created a standard on the territory of Pessamit."

Employment and Financial Arrangements

Under the Mushalakan Agreement, the Parties commit to develop a specific training and employment strategy for the Pessamiuilnut. This strategy will be developed in such a way as to ensure employment opportunities at all levels for the Pessamiuilnut and to encourage their retention and advancement within the project. In addition to the strategy, this agreement will allow the Innus of Pessamit to participate in the project concretely, through contracting opportunities and will ensure fair and equitable financial and socio-economic benefits. The latter will promote and protect the rights, the way of life and the culture of the Pessamiuilnut in addition to supporting the economic development of present and future generations.

Lac Guéret Mining Project

The Lac Guéret project, with an initial life span of 25 years, consists of an open-pit mine located approximately 285 km north of Baie-Comeau on the Nitassinan (traditional territory) of the Pessamit First Nation, and a processing plant and a tailings pond located in the Jean-Noël-Tessier Industrial Park in Baie-Comeau. With a projected annual capacity of approximately 51,900 tonnes of graphite concentrate, the project will provide close to 100 direct jobs to the region's Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal workers which will be shared with the objective of reflecting the demographic proportion of the communities of Pessamit and MRC Manicouagan with a tilt for Pessamit.

 

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Leading Edge Materials Intersects Further Lithium Mineralization at Shallow Depth at Bergby, Sweden
Published by Craig P at 19th June 2017
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Vancouver, Canada – Leading Edge Materials Corp. (“Leading Edge Materials”) or (the “Company”) (TSXV:LEM) (OTCQB: LEMIF) is pleased to announce results from the final six holes drilled at the Company’s 100% owned Bergby lithium project in Sweden. Results were again strongly positive, and include two new near surface intersections that exceed 16m in thickness at greater than 1% Li2O (lithium oxide).

With this final set of drill data from the first drill program completed at Bergby, lithium mineralization is known to extend for more than 600m along strike, and remains open in all directions. Preparations are now underway for an expanded second drill program starting Q3 2017.

Key Results:

• BBY17013 intersected 1.05m @ 0.68% Li2O (lithium oxide) from 8.00m depth
• BBY17014 intersected 6.40m @ 0.64% Li2O from 18.85m depth
• BBY17015 intersected 16.35m @ 1.00% Li2O, 129ppm Ta2O5 (tantalum oxide) from 15.75m depth
• BBY17016 intersected 18.80m @ 1.14% Li2O, 101ppm Ta2O5 (tantalum oxide) from 17.75m depth
• BBY17017 intersected 1.25m @ 0.59% Li2O from 12.25m depth
• BBY17018 did not intersect the targeted pegmatite and was unmineralized

A full set of drilling data is provided in Tables 1 and 2, and presented as Figure 1. A cross section of selected drill holes is provided as Figure 2 to show continuity of mineralization.

Blair Way, President and CEO, stated “The first Bergby drilling program comprising only 18 holes has delivered excellent lithium and tantalum results, and Bergby now ranks as a very significant lithium occurrence in the Nordic region. The high hit rate of high grade lithium so near surface over a 600m strike is impressive, and sets us up for an immediate follow up drilling program.

We are now preparing for additional drilling to test the along strike and down dip extension of lithium mineralization. This program will also collect adequate sample for the first round of mineral processing test work. Additional surface work shall also be completed to better understand the prospectivity of the Bergby area.”

Bergby lies in central Sweden, 25km north of the town of Gavle, secured by three exploration licenses that cover a total of 1,903 Ha. The site is close to infrastructure, with major roads, rail and power supply passing immediately adjacent to the claim boundaries. The potential for low cost and rapid development is significantly enhanced by the presence of a deep-water port only 5km from the site.

The true thickness of mineralized intervals is interpreted to be approximately 90% of the sampled thickness.

Europe is playing a leading role in the transition to low-carbon energy generation from renewable sources, and the efficient storage of that energy. Electric mobility (EV’s, HEV, PHEV’s) and stationary electricity storage are dependent on high purity graphite, lithium and cobalt, where Leading Edge Materials is an active European player. Lithium has a strong and expanding market, due to the essential role it plays in lithium-based batteries for the automotive, consumer product and stationary electrify storage industries. The high electrochemical potential of lithium results in the high power to weight ratio that is essential for efficient mobile batteries.

 

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The updated FS uses a lower average weighted selling price of US$1014 to reflect current market conditions versus US$1694 used in the 2015 FS.

Accidenti, in due anni la grafite ha perso il 40% del suo valore di mercato.
E' per questo che le nostre aziende soffrono tremendamente e quotano a prezzi da fallimento (esclusa Mason).

 

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Focus Graphite Closes Non-Brokered Flow-Through Private Placement
NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES

OTTAWA, ONTARIO – (Marketwired – June 20, 2017) – Focus Graphite Inc. (TSX VENTURE:FMS)(OTCQX:FCSMF)(FRANKFURT:FKC) (“Focus” or the “Company”) announces the closing of a non-brokered private placement (the “Offering”) for proceeds of $1,050,000. The Company has issued 11,666,666 flow-through common shares of the Company (the “Flow-Through Shares”) at a price of $0.09 per Flow-Through Share.

In connection with the closing of the Offering, the Company paid cash finder’s fees totaling $76,000 and issued 844,444 non-transferable warrants, each warrant entitling the holder to acquire one (1) common share of the Company at a price of $0.09 per common share until June 20, 2019.

The securities issued in connection with the closing of the Offering are subject to a four-month hold period expiring on October 21, 2017. The Offering is subject to the final approval of the TSX Venture Exchange.

A director of the Company purchased a total of 1,111,111 Flow-Through Shares. His participation under the Offering constitutes a “related party transaction” as defined under National Instrument 61-101 – Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions (“NI 61-101”). However, such participation is exempt from the valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements of NI 61-101 based on the fact that neither the fair market value of the Offering, nor the consideration paid by such person, exceeds 25% of the Company’s market capitalization. The Company did not file a material change report at least 21 days prior to the closing of the private placement as participation of the insider had not been established at that time.

Update on Current Unit Private Placement

Focus is also is pleased to provide an update on its current unit offering (the “Offering”) for gross proceeds of $5,000,000 following the first closing of the Offering (see the Company’s press release dated June 6, 2017 for more details). The Company expects to proceed with the closing of the second tranche shortly. The Offering consists of a maximum of 66,666,666 units (the “Units”) at a price of $0.075 per Unit. Each Unit is comprised of one (1) common share and one common share purchase warrant (a “Warrant”). Each Warrant entitles its holder to purchase one (1) common share at a price of $0.10 per common share for a period of 48 months following the closing.

Finally, the Company announces that Mr. Jeff Hussey has resigned as Vice-president of Development, to pursue another career opportunity. Focus wishes to thank Mr. Hussey for his services and wishes him the best of luck in his future endeavours.

About Focus Graphite

Focus Graphite Inc. is an advanced exploration and mining company with an objective of producing graphite concentrate at its wholly-owned Lac Knife flake graphite deposit located 27 km south of Fermont, Québec. In a second stage, to meet Quebec stakeholder interests of transformation within the province and to add shareholder value, Focus is evaluating the feasibility of producing value added graphite products including battery-grade spherical graphite.

Focus Graphite is a technology-oriented graphite mining development company with a vision for building long-term, sustainable shareholder value. Focus also holds a significant equity position in graphene applications developer Grafoid Inc.

 

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June 23, 2017 TSX-V: LMR


LOMIKIO ANNOUNCES $ 1.2 MILLION FLOW THROUGH AND HARD DOLLAR UNIT OFFERINGS

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES

Lomiko Metals Inc. (TSX-V: LMR; OTC: LMRMF; FSE: DH8B, WKN: A0Q9W7) (the "Company" or "Lomiko") is pleased to announce a private placement to offer up to 2,500,000 Units of the Company (the "Units") at a price of $0.20 per Unit. Each Unit shall consist of one common share and one share purchase warrant exercisable for 36 months at $0.29.

Further, the company is also offering a non-contingent private placement of flow through shares up to 2,000,000 Units of the Company (the "Units") at a price of $0.26 per Unit. Each Unit shall consist of one common share and one share purchase warrant exercisable for 24 months at $0.29.

The proceeds of the Unit financing will primarily be used to complete option payments and for working capital. Closing of the financings is subject to receipt of applicable regulatory approvals including approval of the TSX Venture Exchange. The securities issued will be subject to a standard four month plus one day hold period.

A finder’s fee will be payable by the Company in accordance with the rules of the TSX Venture Exchange.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of any of the securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or the securities laws of any state of the United States and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to, or for the account or the benefit of, U.S. persons (as defined in Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act) unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or pursuant to an exemption from such registration requirements.

 

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Inutile dire che sono deluso dal grafene e dalla grafite; venivano spacciati come il materiale del futuro e invece si sono dimostrati, per il momento, due ciofecone. La grafite vale sul mercato poco o niente, mentre il grafene a quanto pare costa troppo per le sue applicazioni.
Continuerò a seguire il loro mercato, ma sono con il morale a terra e disilluso sul futuro.

 

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Now is the time to begin long-term accumulation of graphite stocks, to hold for the next few years, before the tidal wave of newly-awakened buyers arrive.

Why do I like Leading Edge Materials (LEM) in the graphite space?

LEM’s key physical asset is the full-scale, fully functional and fully permitted Woxna graphite mine and processing facility in Sweden. LEM aims to use the existing Swedish production capacity and large resource to produce and sell a high-value-added graphite product to LIB cell manufacturers. The potential for LEM is enormous as it could grow production capacity to meet the demands of this disruptive, emerging industry, and is already progressing well down the qualification process. The plant was an actual producer, though not producing now, and will be able to produce 10,000 tons per annum of flotation-grade graphite concentrate (95%C). Having both a mine and processing facility is a key differentiator compared with nearly all other public graphite companies.

Syrah Resources, an Australian graphite miner, claims to be very close to being operational but this is yet to be proven. All other graphite companies in the public space need in the order of US$50-$200 million to build a mine and plant to match what LEM already has. This does not take into consideration the additional work others must do in order to demonstrate they could actually produce battery-grade material (99.999%C) from the flotation concentrate. In a market currently supplied virtually exclusively by China, battery makers will surely seek to diversify their sources of supply.

LEM has chosen not to produce and sell floatation concentrate into the currently small European market at a marginal or zero profit. Instead the plant is run on an as-needed basis to produce floatation concentrates in sufficient quantities to use in high-purity, battery-grade, materials-test work. LEM right now has thousands of kilograms of concentrate to work with, which enables them to test larger-format batteries that satisfy the qualification expectations of future cell manufacturers.

It is doubtful any other graphite company has this large amount of graphite concentrate material available to produce large numbers of large format-test cells. A junior miner, with only small amounts of drill-core samples, or a modest bulk sample, would not have enough material to demonstrate its graphite ability for cell manufacturers to trust. LEM recently completed the manufacturing of a series of battery cells similar to those used in the Tesla electric vehicle.

LEM has used spherical natural high-purity graphite from its Woxna mine to produce “18650 format lithium ion cells.” These cells are the same format used by Panasonic in the Tesla battery pack. Tesla uses 7,104 of these 18650 cells in one battery pack. LEM has made sufficient anode material out of its high-purity graphite to make a further 20 of these 18650 cells for further testing by potential customers.

Modest capital would be required to add on high-purity processing capabilities. We are not aware of any other graphite company to have this capacity. LEM is well on its way to be the first to supply new Gigafactories with this highly-sought after commodity. There are no Gigafactory-size battery cell manufacturers in Europe to date. There are some cell manufacturers that do make cells on a small scale, but they are not commercially viable.

Total graphite consumption in Europe is less than one hundred tons of graphite annually. They only use synthetic graphite at present — more expensive and not environmentally friendly — but might change to natural flake when a big manufacturer leads the way. LEM is working with future cell manufacturers in Europe to provide a solution where more natural flake can be utilized at a lower cost and greener footprint. LEM is perhaps the only company actively pursuing this goal.

Our long-term recommendation of LEM is evidenced by our having owned some for many years. Put a small amount in the back of portfolios, or as a gift to a loved one, and forget about it for a few years. We can’t recall ever having sold any, and don’t plan to do so anywhere near these low prices.