It was first “isolated” (created) in 2004, earning its inventors the 2010 Nobel Prize in physics. The amazing properties of graphene illustrate why its invention was deemed worthy of this award.
- 200 times as strong as steel
- 10X more conductive and 1,000X the current capacity of copper
- Ultra-light weight: a single-layer sheet of graphene large enough to cover a football field would weigh less than a gram
Truly a revolutionary material to power the 21st century global economy. So, why haven’t we already seen graphene-based applications transforming the economy?
Several reasons.
- Introducing a new material into any production process requires re-engineering that process to incorporate new production parameters. As both an extremely complex and hi-tech material, this graphene engineering takes time.
- Producing graphene at commercial scale and at competitive pricing. Solving the production challenges of producing high-quality graphene at commercial scale has proven to be perhaps more difficult than originally anticipated.
- Adoption of new technology. There is always a lag in time between the creation and adoption of any new technology. The more revolutionary the technology, generally the longer the lag-time – as potential end-users first learn about this new technology.
Graphene is still so new that even estimates of the size of the “graphene market” are all over the place. Mordor Intelligence estimates the graphene market at USD$791.66 million for 2023, rising to USD$4.84 billion by 2028.
Investors can find market reports that offer both larger and smaller estimates of the graphene market.
Why the discrepancies? Simply defining “graphene” is not as clear-cut as it is with (for example) some homogenous commodity. The quality of graphene varies dramatically between different production processes. Industry insiders have observed that much of what is called (and sold as) “graphene” is little more than just glorified graphite.
For end-users, commercialization of graphene has been delayed by their own learning curve and the challenges of re-engineering.
For graphene producers, commercialization has been delayed in terms of finding optimal processes for producing graphene – that are both cost-effective and commercially scalable.
One newcomer to the graphene industry that is confident in its ability to deliver graphene solutions is Blue Water Petroleum Corp. (OTC:BWPC).
Blue Water is a diversified technology company that frames itself as “protecting the planet with our sustainable and innovative environmental technology solutions”. Its shareholders have supported the company’s efforts in the marketplace and Blue Water’s market cap has steadily increased over the years to more than USD$500 million.
Recently, the Company made a major pivot into graphene production and commercialization. This began with Blue Water’s acquisition of Swiss-based Attimar SA, a private company. The company has provided this introduction in a prior news release:
Attimar SA is a worldwide leading graphene technologies, for the production, capture, packaging and transport of graphene nanoparticles both in dry powder and in wet paste, making it a flagship for manufacturers within the Green innovation sectors. These applications are combined with technological transfers and in its cutting-edge production of various unique nanomaterials that can be used in combination with the various applications of graphene, vastly improving the quality of the final products. The company is differentiated from its competition in that it is an actual producer of graphene using very efficient and very high capacity industrial facilities in the Italian province of Umbria.
Put more simply, Attimar’s graphene can be integrated into a significant number of commercialization opportunities with strategic sectors and partners.
The Seed Investor recently had the opportunity to connect with the President of Blue Water Petroleum, Vladimir Ivanov. Estonian by birth, Ivanov holds both a Masters degree in engineering as well as a Masters degree in finance management and business administration.
Our first question to the President of Blue Water Petroleum was simple. How does the Company’s subsidiary, Attimar SA produce its graphene at a commercial scale?
Due to trade secrets the process of production is confidential and many details on this patented graphene production process are proprietary. However, he did reveal that Attimar uses “ultrasound resonance” in order to transform graphite into graphene.
Ivanov told The Seed Investor that Attimar’s unique graphene production process offered several competitive advantages including: commercially scalable, energy efficiency, and an ability to produce varying categories of graphene depending on the application and customers’ needs.
As previously noted, this is not a theoretical model for graphene production. Attimar is already producing and marketing its graphene for various commercial applications, as indicated by two recent news releases from Blue Water.
On March 5, 2023; Blue Water announced the launch of its “Thermo Varnish” product. The Thermo Varnish coating “is applied as a thin layer of paint with nanomaterials such as graphene” that adds both thermal and electric conduction properties to the coated surface.
Even more recently, on June 6, 2023 a Company release reported on the commencement of graphene pellet sales. These graphene pellets are used to produce new polymer blends that “exhibit exceptional characteristics in terms of strength, durability, and thermal and electrical conductivity.”
Graphene is a game-changer in the electronics and semiconductor sectors. Both of these will grow exponentially over the next decade.
Along with the production facility in Italy, the key to the Attimar acquisition for Blue Water was that company’s IP: 10 graphene-based patents that are central to Attimar’s unique graphene production process. Ivanov also indicated that a significant number of additional patents pending are currently in the pipeline.
Blue Water is forecasting much bigger developments on the horizon. The Company is already planning to add a second production facility in Germany. And Blue Water sees significant additional graphene-based opportunities in (a) automotive tire recycling, and (b) concrete additives.
Both of these are huge markets, where any significant degree of penetration could quickly mushroom into significant revenue streams.
Graphene commercialization is here. But this is going to be a multi-decade Revolution not some overnight success story. The complexities of graphene simply don’t allow for quick/easy solutions.
Yet the payday for this Revolution more than justifies the investment of time, effort and capital. Adding science-fiction like properties to a wide variety of consumer end products as well as intermediate inputs for industry.
Blue Water is preparing itself for the long term. The Company plans on growing with the needs of the market, and it is applying its business growth strategies to not just the present demands but anticipated future demands.
For investors, looking to capitalize on this opportunity, Blue Water Petroleum Corp. may be the right vehicle for you.
Bluewaterpet.com
DISCLOSURE: Blue Water Petroleum Corp is a paid client of The Seed Investor.