Directa Plus PLC (LON:DCTA) has secured an EU-wide patent for Grafysorber, its graphene-based technology to treat water and sludge contaminated with hydrocarbons.
The AIM-listed firm said the patent covers produced waters, refinery waters, and any kind of wastewater which contains relatively low but still dangerous amounts of hydrocarbons.
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Directa Plus said such waters were often “very difficult to treat and often expensive and complex, involving multiple step processes”, however, Grafysorber offered an “effective and quick one-step process”.
The company already supplies Grafysorber as a decontamination service to several European oil and gas companies through its subsidiary Setcar.
"The award of a Europe-wide patent for our Grafysorber technology in the very large oil and gas sector potentially increases our addressable market significantly. Our success in the environmental sector is a reflection of our ability to introduce graphene derived products to large existing markets", Directa Plus chief executive Giulio Cesareo said in a statement.
Shares in the firm surged 8.3% to 83.9p in early deals on Monday.