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Volume is key now....a bit more and SP will continue to climb.
A pioneering new payment service will be trailed in Manchester’s Lowry Hotel River Restaurant, in the city that gave birth to Graphene, the world’s thinnest and cleverest material.
Payper’s five-second payment method uses graphene’s unique properties to enable a customer’s mobile phone to detect the receipt data, providing an instant option to pay on their smartphone screen.
The payment system will revolutionaries the way customer’s pay their bill as it provides a convenient and contactless way to pay in seconds, without waiting for staff or downloading an app.
The pioneering idea is being commercialised by start-up Payper Technologies, co-founded byDr Thanasis Georgiou, who said: “The pioneering idea was conceived by the founder, Dr Thanasis Georgiou after he was left waiting to pay the restaurant bill for 20 minutes,” explained Payper co-founder Renate Kalnina.
“After spending ten years on advanced material research, he saw a clear opportunity to use graphene to address this industry problem. We solved the issue of card terminal jams and downtime, allowing restaurants to run their operations more efficiently at a reduced cost.
“Throughout development, we needed a way to manufacture graphene, which meant having a good understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of different techniques. We were able to formulate conductive inks that have sufficient characteristics to work with our antennas.
“Once we had manufactured the graphene antenna rolls, we then built the necessary software to handle the payments. We are now in discussions with multiple restaurants who have expressed an interest in trialling the technology.”
“At the home of graphene’s isolation, we are delighted to be able to trial this new technology in Manchester at The Lowry Hotel River Restaurant.
Research by Payper found that 69 per cent of customers said that paying is one of the most infuriating experiences when dining out. Payper’s research has indicated this more streamlined checkout process will result in increased customer loyalty, and a 30 per cent uplift in customer lifetime value.
Adrian Ellis, General Manager at The Lowry Hotel said: “We are delighted to be the flagship hotel in the UK trialling this new enhanced payment method to our customers.
“Graphene was isolated at The University of Manchester, so it really is a privilege to be using a product that not only makes the customer journey more convenient but is also sportive of the city the product was founded.
Stronger than steel and thinner than paper Graphene is a single, thin layer of graphite — the soft, flaky material used in pencil lead. It is a mere one-atom thick, the first two-dimensional material ever discovered. Despite this, graphene is also one of the strongest materials in the known universe. With a tensile strength of 130 GPa (gigapascals), it is more than 100 times stronger than steel.
https://aboutmanchester.co.uk/a-pioneering-new-payment-service-will-be-trailed-in-
A useful tweet mannnan from a few days ago comparing the two.
https://twitter.com/StirlingBridgeR/status/1298149537241083904
What has struck me was the similiarity between Malvern and Wey Education in their numbers, yet Malvern MCAP is £1.8 mil and Wey Education is £36 mil.
Malvern very much oversold.
I believe last Sept there were 268 million shares in issue, so at 2p per share that an mcap of £5.3 million.
Managed to just buy 326,523 shares but that's it. Couldn't resist dipping my toe in.
Don't forget we already have in place MOUs with the following:
Matrass Group, China – 30kT
CoolRU IT, China – 5kT
Datong Resources, China – 25kT
That already exceeds forecast 1st year production of 53KT.
As well as ongoing discussions with other Asian parties. And CSIRO are the largest patent holder in Australia.
This growth rate is expected to continue as hybrid electric vehicles (“HEV”), plug in electric vehicles (“PEV”) and all electric vehicles (“EV”), and grid storage applications, are huge markets that are all in their infancy. This has significant implications for the Li ion and graphite markets. The batteries are large and the potential demand for graphite very significant. By weight, graphite is the second largest component in Li ion and they contain 10-15 times more graphite than lithium (don't forget Elon Musks quote). Because of losses in the manufacturing process, it actually takes over 30 times as much graphite to make the batteries.
There is up to 10 kgs of graphite in the average HEV and up to 70 kgs in an EV. There is far more in a Tesla Model S. Every million EVs, which is about 1% of the new car market, require in the order of 75,000 tonnes of natural graphite to make the batteries which represents a potential ten per cent increase in flake graphite demand. Because of the small size of the flake graphite market, even modest, conservative EV adoption rates will have a big effect on demand. Li ion manufacturing capacity currently under construction would require flake graphite production to more than double by 2025.
The anode material used in Li ion, called spherical graphite ("SPG"), is manufactured from either flake graphite concentrates produced by graphite mines or from synthetic graphite. Only flake graphite which can be economically rounded and upgraded to 99.95% purity can be used. Uncoated spherical graphite currently sells for up to USD3,000/tonne or over three times the price of large flake graphite. Coated spherical graphite sells for USD$4,000 to $12,000 per tonne depending on quality and end market.
And we have one for the finest sources of graphite globally ready for the growing EV market.
More new Li ion battery plants recently announced in the pipeline. Even one near Cardiff. All which require graphite.
https://www.euractiv.com/section/batteries/news/wales-in-line-for-latest-battery-mega-factory/
https://smallcaps.com.au/magnis-energy-technologies-consortium-approval-feasibility-study-3b-lithium-ion-battery-plant/
https://www.greencarcongress.com/2020/07/20200730-bmw.html
https://www.bestmag.co.uk/indnews/indian-firm-announces-plans-50000-graphite-anode-manufacturing-plant
https://www.electrive.com/2020/08/19/elkem-selects-site-for-potential-battery-materials-plant-in-norway/
One in Norway announced last week too. No doubt more graphite battery plants will constructed to satisfy growing demand.
"The Norwegian company Elkem has selected the Herøya Industrial Park as the site for a potential large-scale plant for battery material production. The Northern Recharge project aims to supply graphite as anode material in lithium-ion battery cells for electric cars.
Elkem is currently constructing a pilot plant for battery graphite in the Norwegian town of Kristiansand. The pilot, which represents an investment of NOK 65 million (over EUR 6m) is expected to open at the beginning of 2021.
Depending on the outcome of the pilot, Elkem will evaluate whether to follow through with its Northern Recharge project. If so, Herøya Industrial Park, one of the biggest industrial parks in Norway, will host the envisioned large-scale plant.
It would then supply the rapidly growing EV battery industry with graphite. Elkem considers graphite the leading anode material in lithium-ion battery cells and expects demand to increase more than ten times from today’s level to 2030. To make it into the market, the company hopes to find a more competitive and environmentally-friendly production process. Elkem here banks on good access to hydropower at the Herøya site, potentially lowering CO2 emissions by 90 per cent compared to alternatives based on fossil energy. “We also secure proximity to our pilot plant and internationally leading research environments within material technology,” says vice president for Elkem Battery Materials, Stian Madshus.
What are EV, smart phone or any rechargeable electrical device required now is rapid charging times. Thats's been the main criticism of EV to date (as well as range). High purity graphite has excellent electrical conductivity and is what is being looked into now for the next generation of graphene based Li ion Batteries with charging times less than 30 minutes.
Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra went on sale in China and the company claimed it sold out a $57.7 million shipment in the first ten minutes. Mi 10 Ultra features Xiaomi’s first-ever 120W Mi Turbo Charge. It’s currently the fastest commercially available charging solution. The company has claimed the device can be filled up to 4,500mAh battery in less than 20 minutes.
The battery cell is said to be a graphene-based lithium-ion battery.
https://trak.in/tags/business/2020/08/24/7-reasons-why-mi-10-ultra-beats-galaxy-note-20-ultra-oneplus-8-pro-galaxy-s20-ultra-ultimate-flagship/
Samsung, Huawei and Apple all said to launch Smartphones with graphene battery in 2021.
https://www.slashgear.com/what-to-expect-from-future-smartphones-batteries-06623857/
"The lithium is two percent of the cell mass [in our batteries]. So it's like salt in the salad; it's a very small amount of the cell mass and a fairly small amount of the cost. But it sounds like it's big because it's called 'lithium ion,' but really, our battery should be called 'nickel graphite,' because it's mostly nickel and graphite."
Elon Musk.
(and we have one of the highest purity grades of graphite in the world).
https://www.miningreview.com/battery-metals/mahenge-graphite-project-geared-for-success-for-all-stakeholders/
Black Rock currently has a 100% interest in Mahenge. The project is spread across 324 km2 of exploration tenements in Tanzania’s central Ulanga district, 450km from the country’s commercial centre, Dar es Salaam.
It is one of the world’s largest graphite resources with 212 Mt at 7.8% TGC (total graphite contained), and a reserve of 70 Mt at 8.5% TGC. The company’s enhanced definitive feasibility study (eDFS) projects a four-stage construction schedule to deliver up to 340 000 tpa of 98% graphite concentrate for 26 years.
According to de Vries, Mahenge’s high graphite concentrate is as a result of its unique location.
“Mahenge is on top of a mountain. This is unlike most graphite deposits which are found in low lying areas. These deposits experience a secondary mineralisation effect, meaning fluids pass through these ore bodies and this fluid adds in other minerals such as vanadium, sulphur and iron.
“We had a very dry system at Mahenge so there is minimal secondary mineralisation and this geology allows us to achieve a remarkable 98% graphite concentrate,” he explains.
“What is apparent is that it is not the availability of a graphite deposit but rather the properties of the concentrate that comes off that deposit that is rare. Mahenge’s clean cheomistry and large flake bias places us in the very rare class”
De Vries also adds that not much is known about the ideal way to develop a successful graphite mine.
.......Our potential customers were surprised and didn’t really believe that we were able produce 98% concentrate so they wanted to see how we did it.
“So, we ran a second pilot plant in China and took concentrate to a number of customers, including POSCO, a large South Korean industrial company who is a major player in the global lithium-ion industry.”
The relationship between Black Rock and POSCO was further solidified in June when the two companies signed a strategic alliance and development Memorandum of Understanding that will see the development of Mahenge.
According to the agreement, once Due Diligence is complete, POSCO could make an initial investment of up to US$10 million to fund a program of engineering works including design, completion of contracts and early site access to establish a construction-ready site by the end of the year.
POSCO then has the option to make a second investment for project construction in exchange for a long-term offtake arrangement for up to 100% sub #100 mesh concentrate. This is expected to be up to 40 000 tpa at full production rates for Module One at Mahenge.
Mahenge is about 60 km from the Ifakara Railway Station which is on the Tanzania Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA). This is a bi-national railway linking the southern Africa regional transport network to the seaport of Dar es Salaam.
...cont
https://www.intelligentliving.co/graphene-lithium-batteries/
https://cleantechnica.com/2020/05/25/nanotech-energy-claims-its-graphene-lithium-battery-will-charge-18-times-faster-than-conventional-li-ion-battery/
https://www.androidauthority.com/xiaomi-mi-10-ultra-specs-1146166/
The fact Mahenge project boasts the highest purity grades of graphite in the world means it will command the highest prices going forward. High purity means it will have the best electrical conductivity, which the next generation of EV, smart phones and other electrical gadgets require for fast charging batteries. So phones and EV that charge in less than 30 min. https://www.androidauthority.com/xiaomi-mi-10-ultra-specs-1146166/https://www.intelligentliving.co/graphene-lithium-batteries/
Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra went on sale in China and the company claimed it sold out a $57.7 million shipment in the first ten minutes.
Mi 10 Ultra features Xiaomi’s first-ever 120W Mi Turbo Charge. It’s currently the fastest commercially available charging solution. The company has claimed the device can be filled up to 4,500mAh battery in less than 20 minutes.
The battery cell is said to be a graphene-based lithium-ion battery.
https://trak.in/tags/business/2020/08/24/7-reasons-why-mi-10-ultra-beats-galaxy-note-20-ultra-oneplus-8-pro-galaxy-s20-ultra-ultimate-flagship/
Samsung, Huawei and Apple all said to launch Smartphones with graphene battery in 2021.
https://www.slashgear.com/what-to-expect-from-future-smartphones-batteries-06623857/
Taken from Tones7777 post on Monday
Valuation Snapshot
Current Mcap - £16m
Discounted Cash Flow Valuation of c25% of the post tax NPV ($292m) equates to £55.6m. This 25% has been used given the exceptional project economics where almost the entire CAPEX can potentially be debt funded, the graphite purity which commands premium prices indicated by the MOUs that have already been signed for capacity far exceeding the annual production capacity (i.e. c60kT vs capacity of 53kT).
Today’s value should be a minimum of £55.6m which equates to c12.5p.
However I challenge that this should be even substantially higher as the DFS was based only on 25% of the resource, meaning the NPV used is only a quarter of the value of the asset. Given the demand for graphite and now graphene (which I think CSIRO are probably testing to understand how this can be produced) in the mix, the value attributable will only increase.
Lots of expected news flow on financing, conversion of MOUs to binding offtake agreements, permits, commencing FEED, test results from CSIRO, and potentially selling graphene. At current mcap of c£16m - I consider this a stellar opportunity to be invested with limited downside/risk.
Taken from Tones7777 post Monday (hope you don't mind!)
Part 1 of 2
Thought it would be worth highlighting some key figures, progress and then comparing the current value against the potential opportunity from current levels for shareholders.
Key Metrics
Mahenge Liandu Graphite Project (100% owned)
DFS Key Observations
NPV - $430m; IRR – 91%; CAPEX - $40m (Stage 1); Payback Period – 1.6 yrs;
Purity – 97% with test work having demonstrated to produce 99.99% purity through conventional treatment. Currently under further testing by CSIRO (covered by their grant for expenses) to understand the use of the Mahenge graphite for battery appliations.
High mine grade – 12.5%; Low strip ration – 2.1;
Production in 2 stage: Stage 1 (53kT) – Years 1 to 4; Stage 2 (120kT) – Years 5 to 15
Progress Made – Offtakes, Financing and Permits
Offtake Agreements
Considerable offtake interest with MOUs signed with 4 parties prior to release of DFS and now in discussions with various other Asian parties. Important to note that Mahenge’s graphite purity is among the best globally and will command premium pricing. The capacity for the first 4 years is 53kT.
MOU with Matrass Group, China – 30kT
MOU with CoolRU IT, China – 5kT
MOU with Datong Resources, China – 25kT
The total offtake agreement is for 60kt which exceeds the expected production capacity of 53kt per annum for the first 4 years.
As per recent RNS’s, talks are currently in place convert these MOUs to offtake agreements. I believe that the pricing/terms are being finalised given the higher-grade purity of the graphite following DFS and further testing carried out.
Financing Discussions
Currently under two NDA’s in advanced stage and discussion with multiple parties to structure the CAPEX via a fully debt deal given only c$40m is required. There is potential that there might be a small equity raise at a much higher share price once off take agreements and debt funding is finalised so shareholders are rewarded and to also potentially bring new institutions to the book. However, it’s imperative to understand that given the stellar economics, it is likely that almost the entire CAPEX of $40m could be debt funded.
Permits
On 2nd July, a mining licence permit was lodged, this is expected to land anytime now. Following this, it is expected that the environmental and social permits will follow.