Great Lakes Graphite and Partners Manufacture High Purity Graphite Products to Prepare for the Battery Market
Efforts with industry partners position the Company to join the global battery supply chain
TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Jul 18, 2017) - Great Lakes Graphite Inc. ("GLK" or the "Company") (TSX VENTURE:GLK)(OTC PINK:GLKIF)(FRANKFURT:8GL) today announces that working in conjunction with partners Shamokin Carbons and Ashland Advanced Materials, the Company has manufactured a quantity of several high purity flake graphite products. This development is one of many necessary steps required to qualify as a supplier of high quality, high purity graphite products for use in battery anodes and other components for the electric car battery and stationary energy storage markets.
Highlights
- Over two hundred and fifty pounds of various graphite products were manufactured in commercial scale facilities, which currently process commercial quantities of synthetic graphite.
- Results support the ability to consistently achieve high and ultra high purity levels.
- Larger quantities demonstrate the Company's ability to exceed bench scale manufacturing of high purity graphite products.
A total of over two hundred and fifty (250) pounds of material were processed in commercial scale micronization and purification facilities owned and operated by partners of Great Lakes Graphite that currently process commercial quantities of synthetic graphite. The manufactured flake graphite products include high purity micronized graphite, ultra high purity micronized graphite products and ultra high purity spheronized graphite.
Results from analytical tests performed on the processed materials support that the method and techniques being used are able to consistently achieving purity levels exceeding 99.9% carbon (high purity) and 99.99% (ultra high purity). The commercial purification furnaces at the Ashland Advanced Materials facility located in Niagara Falls, New York are operated at extremely high temperatures, up to 3,000 degrees centigrade, in order to achieve the high purification levels. Extremely high and consistent purity levels are required for material that is destined for the battery industry in order to maximize product performance.
GDMS Analysis of Great Lakes Graphite Ultra High Purity Spheronized Graphite
The table below shows a partial list of elements from the results of the GDMS analysis performed on a sample of ultra high purity spheronized graphite.
| Trace Mineral Impurities / Key Elements | Concentration Parts Per Million ("PPM") Wt % | |
| Al (Aluminum) | 0.25 | |
| Ca (Calcium) | <0.50 | |
| Co (Cobalt) | <0.05 | |
| Cr (Chromium) | <0.50 | |
| Cu (Copper) | <0.10 | |
| Fe (Iron) | 0.27 | |
| Mo (Molybdenum) | 1.80 | |
| Ni (Nickel) | <0.409 | |
| Pb (Lead) | <0.10 | |
| Sb (Antimony) | <0.10 | |
| Si (Silicon) | 34.00 | |
| V (Vanadium) | 0.15 | |
| S (Sulfur) | 1.40 | |
| Zn (Zinc) | <0.10 |
Great Lakes Graphite Chief Executive Officer Paul Gorman said, "Larger quantities demonstrate the Company's ability to exceed bench scale manufacturing of high purity graphite products. We have been working with our partners to methodically assemble the elements required to deliver into customer supply chains at the scale required to be a viable supply alternative for customers. Bench scale capabilities enable the manufacture of products in quantities required for product qualification testing, but do not in themselves create the capability to feed supply chains in commercial quantities."
About Great Lakes Graphite: Great Lakes Graphite is a Clean Technology Minerals Processing Company supplying customers with innovative, high quality value-added carbon products.
There is no significant graphite production in North America now. As pricing and demand continue to rise, Great Lakes Graphite is one of the first new domestic suppliers to a growing regional customer base. We continually work to deliver products of the best quality with outstanding customer service.
The Company is party to an agreement for long-term supply of high quality natural graphite concentrate from Brazil (see news release dated 03/23/15). Great Lakes Graphite is presently working with an established US-based processor for toll micronization services. The Company has partnered with Ashland Advanced Materials for commercial-scale purification operations at Ashland's 110,000 square foot purification facility located in Niagara, New York.
Through our partner relationships, Great Lakes Graphite began selling micronized synthetic graphite beginning in 2016 and now supplies micronized and high purity micronized natural flake graphite products to a growing customer base.
Further information regarding Great Lakes can be found on the Company's website at: www.GreatLakesGraphite.com.
Great Lakes Graphite trades with symbol GLK on the TSX Venture Exchange and currently has 125,656,830 shares outstanding.
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Caution Regarding Forward Looking Information: Certain statements in this press release may constitute "forward looking information" which involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward looking information. When used in this press release, such forward looking information may use such words as "may'', "will'', "expect'', "believe'', "plan'' and other similar terminology. Forward looking information is provided for the purpose of presenting information about management's current expectations relating to the future events and the operating performance of the Company, and readers are cautioned that such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. The forward looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the ability of the Company to fulfill the orders and future orders, regulatory requirements, general economic, market or business conditions and future developments in the sectors of the economy in which the business of Great Lakes operates. The foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. Please see the Company's financial statements, MD&A and other documents available on www.sedar.com, for a more detailed description of the risk factors. The Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward looking information, whether a result of new information, future results or otherwise, except as required by law.
Contact
Paul Ferguson
Chief Marketing Officer
Email: PFerguson@GreatLakesGraphite.com
1-800-754-4510 x106
Paul Gorman
Chief Executive Officer
Email: PGorman@GreatLakesGraphite.com
1-800-754-4510 x109