Clean TeQ Water Ltd is trading higher after wholly-owned subsidiary NematiQ Pty Ltd achieved commercial-scale manufacture of an innovative graphene membrane.
Over the last five years, the CNQ spinout has developed and proven a patented, layer-by-layer methodology to produce the graphene membrane.
Since then, NematiQ has achieved a major milestone by producing more than 1,000 metres worth of 1,000-millimetre-wide flat sheet graphene membrane, at speed, on an industrial roll-to-roll coating machine, confirming Clean TeQ’s ability to manufacture graphene membrane at a commercial scale.
Moving ahead, NematiQ’s graphene membranes will be converted into spiral-wound cartridges that can be incorporated into demonstration plants — the final step before commercial sales of the membranes can begin.
The graphene membrane development pathway.
Investors have responded positively to the milestone, driving shares as much as 9.4% higher intraday to $0.64.
What’s it used for?
Graphene membrane nanofiltration has potential applications in many areas of water and wastewater treatment and industrial separations. These include:
- Treating water for drinking;
- Pretreating seawater prior to desalination;
- Recycling greywater;
- Treating municipal and industrial water for reuse; and
- Separating high-value products, for example, in the food and pharmaceuticals industries.
Direct graphene membrane nanofiltration technology is a giant leap forward in producing pure and affordable water.
Essentially, graphene membranes are designed to remove bacteria, virus and dissolved organic compounds without removing the salts.
Some of the many benefits of the graphene membrane include less energy use, high water recovery and less by-product.
Graphene membranes also have superior anti-fouling properties and so use considerably less chemicals to clean than the commonly used polymeric membranes.
The global market for membrane-based water filtration, including micro, ultra, nano and reverse osmosis, is estimated at more than US$18 billion annually, while the addressable market for graphene membranes is estimated at US$5 billion.
Next steps
Demonstration of the graphene membrane technology is underway using 1812 cartridge systems in different potential treatment plants around Australia, which readily provide information on the suitability of the membrane for the application.
A demonstration plant using 4040 and 8040 cartridges is expected to begin in May 2022.
Further production runs of the graphene membrane are scheduled to occur in April and June 2022.
Once the pilots are concluded, NematiQ will commence marketing and sales of its membranes, which is expected to be a combination of direct sales of membranes modules and systems, as well as selected commercial and distribution partnerships.