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Released December 30, 2024 | GALWAY, IRELAND
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Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland)--A U.K. company that specializes in graphene-enriched carbon fiber has struck a deal to build the world's first commercial plant in Saudi Arabia to supply materials for use in the Gulf State's futuristic eco-city mega-project, NEOM.
Graphene Innovations Manchester (GIM) (Manchester, England) and Saudi-based investors Organized Chaos (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia) have agreed to construct a factory in the Gulf state to manufacture to deliver super-strong and light graphene-based products to the NEOM project. The deal may also lead to up to £250 million (US$318 million) being invested in constructing a research and innovation hub in Greater Manchester and the creation of more than 1,000 jobs, according to the U.K. Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, announcing the project.
The deal comes a year after GIM struck a US$1 billion deal with Quazar Investment (Dubai) of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to commercialize the production of graphene, which has been described as a "miracle material" that is stronger than diamond, more conductive than copper and more flexible than rubber. Graphene was discovered by two students at the University of Manchester in 2004, earning a Nobel Prize for the discovery in 2010. It is a single layer of carbon atoms that are purported to be the thinnest and strongest substance ever recorded. The material is so tiny - one atom thick - that scientists refer to it as the world's first two-dimensional material. To date there has been plenty of experimentation with it being tested in cars, brain implants, screens, phones and water filters but nothing at scale. GIM has created machines to make graphene and the first one is now operational, with commissioning of the commercial scale plant in Saudi expected by the end of next year. In the latest deal, GIM will be producing graphene-enriched carbon fiber that can be used for many applications in the ambitious desert-based NEOM city and industrial project. The city will cover 26,500 square kilometers, span multiple regions and include a floating industrial complex, global trade hub, tourist resorts and a linear city--all powered by renewable energy. The cost is estimated at more than US$500 billion.
Industrial Info is tracking 57 projects associated with NEOM worth more than US$22 billion in investment. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Project Database can click here for the reports.
Vivek Koncherry, chief executive of GIM, said scaling up production had the potential "to change every aspect of our lives." Koncherry, who studied graphene as a student at the University of Manchester and who had help founding GIM with the university's National Graphene Institute, added: ""My idea is to rapidly develop products that can solve global problems like climate change, water shortage, plastic pollution, because the world is facing so many challenges, we can't wait anymore." Other products that are expected from GIM's full scale plant include:
Graphene Innovations Manchester (GIM) (Manchester, England) and Saudi-based investors Organized Chaos (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia) have agreed to construct a factory in the Gulf state to manufacture to deliver super-strong and light graphene-based products to the NEOM project. The deal may also lead to up to £250 million (US$318 million) being invested in constructing a research and innovation hub in Greater Manchester and the creation of more than 1,000 jobs, according to the U.K. Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, announcing the project.
The deal comes a year after GIM struck a US$1 billion deal with Quazar Investment (Dubai) of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to commercialize the production of graphene, which has been described as a "miracle material" that is stronger than diamond, more conductive than copper and more flexible than rubber. Graphene was discovered by two students at the University of Manchester in 2004, earning a Nobel Prize for the discovery in 2010. It is a single layer of carbon atoms that are purported to be the thinnest and strongest substance ever recorded. The material is so tiny - one atom thick - that scientists refer to it as the world's first two-dimensional material. To date there has been plenty of experimentation with it being tested in cars, brain implants, screens, phones and water filters but nothing at scale. GIM has created machines to make graphene and the first one is now operational, with commissioning of the commercial scale plant in Saudi expected by the end of next year. In the latest deal, GIM will be producing graphene-enriched carbon fiber that can be used for many applications in the ambitious desert-based NEOM city and industrial project. The city will cover 26,500 square kilometers, span multiple regions and include a floating industrial complex, global trade hub, tourist resorts and a linear city--all powered by renewable energy. The cost is estimated at more than US$500 billion.
Industrial Info is tracking 57 projects associated with NEOM worth more than US$22 billion in investment. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Project Database can click here for the reports.
Vivek Koncherry, chief executive of GIM, said scaling up production had the potential "to change every aspect of our lives." Koncherry, who studied graphene as a student at the University of Manchester and who had help founding GIM with the university's National Graphene Institute, added: ""My idea is to rapidly develop products that can solve global problems like climate change, water shortage, plastic pollution, because the world is facing so many challenges, we can't wait anymore." Other products that are expected from GIM's full scale plant include:
- GIM Concrete: a construction material that dramatically reduces CO2 by eliminating cement. GIM Concrete also uses no water, it cures quickly and can be made using recycled materials. GIM Concrete will eventually become carbon negative.
- GIM Hydrogen (Type IV & V): graphene-enhanced storage tanks and pipes made using advanced proprietary AI-based robots with substantially improved H2 barrier properties and leak prevention.
- GIM Smart Clothing: protective clothing PPE technologies that actively cool workwear and improve comfort for people in extremely hot environments.
