Rimere, Newport Beach, Calif. developer of processes extracting high value compounds from natural gas, has entered a codevelopment agreement with Golden State neighbor Holliday Rock, a key player in ready mixed, aggregate and asphalt production, to quantify the potential of graphene to improve concrete strength, elasticity, shrinkage, shielding and durability. Composed of a single layer of atoms, graphene exhibits extraordinary properties and is increasingly being applied with notable success in batteries and semi-conductors, composites and resins, plus building materials. It is recognized to be 200 times stronger than steel, 40 times harder than diamond, 500 percent more thermally conductive than aluminum, and 160 percent more electrically conductive than copper.
“Holliday Rock is a very respected and forward-thinking leader in an industry that is not always thought to be so,” says Rimere CEO Mitchell Pratt. “Our partnership has been formed with innovation and sustainability in mind and this testing will explore the possibilities that graphene can offer in advancing construction materials. The results could drastically change both the very foundations of the concrete industry, but also help with the sector’s greenhouse gas emissions issues.”
“Partnering with Rimere aligns with our goal to deliver high-quality, cutting-edge, sustainable solutions,” adds Holliday Rock Director of Sustainability and Strategy Sam Rade. “By integrating graphene into our formulations, we hope to raise the bar for the industry, ultimately increasing the value and utility of concrete, while reducing the carbon intensity of construction.”
Rimere has developed a proprietary process to further functionalize its graphene into graphene oxide, an “immediate use,” water-soluble form of the compound attained without harsh chemicals and other labor-intensive processes typically required.
Rimere is developing two independent devices, Reformer (concept model below) and Mitigator, that enable the use of methane or natural gas, CH4, to accelerate a transition from fossil fuels to clean hydrogen. Reformer yields graphene as a coproduct of hydrogen, the primary output.
