Australia’s Graphene Manufacturing Group (GMG) says that it has completed the construction and started up its Generation 2.0 graphene manufacturing technology plant, which is expected to produce 10 tonnes/year of graphene once remaining works are completed and the plant is optimised. The total capital cost is expected to be below the estimated cost of AU$2.3 million by the end of the project completion at the end of 2026, as the project costs are under budget to date, it adds.
The remaining works for this project, which are expected to be completed by end of September 2026, are:
- . Complete graphene quality optimisation,
- . Complete production volume optimisation,
- . Complete graphene powder pack filling optimisation.
Following which, the following activity is expected to be completed by the of December 2026:
- . Complete self-power generation supply installation.
Once fully complete and optimised the plant is expected to be largely self-powered from standalone energy generation that utilizes renewable sources, an energy storage system and hydrogen enriched natural gas provided by tail gas power generation.
GMG’s Managing Director and CEO, Craig Nicol, commented: ” We are now focused on completing the optimisation of graphene quality and production volumes, as well as commissioning our self-powered energy systems and powder packing capabilities. With this plant, we are not only scaling output but also advancing our vision of highly efficient graphene manufacturing that can be replicated and deployed globally.”
GMG uses its own proprietary production process to decompose natural gas (i.e. methane) into its natural elements, carbon (as graphene), hydrogen and some residual hydrocarbon gases. This process produces high quality, low cost, scalable, ‘tuneable’ and low/no contaminant graphene suitable for use in clean-technology and other applications.
In the energy savings segment, GMG says it has initially focused on graphene enhanced heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC-R) coating (or energy-saving coating) which is now being marketed into other applications including electronic heat sinks, industrial process plants and data centres. Another product GMG has developed is the graphene lubricant additive focused on saving liquid fuels initially for diesel engines.
In the energy storage segment, GMG and the University of Queensland are working collaboratively with financial support from the Australian Government to progress R&D and commercialisation of graphene aluminium-ion batteries (G+AI Batteries). GMG has also developed a graphene additive slurry that is aimed at improving the performance of lithium-ion batteries.