Black Swan Graphene and Nationwide Engineering Announce Strategic Partnership, Part of an Integrated Supply Chain, to Accelerate the Adoption of Graphene-enhanced Concrete Globally
Black Swan Graphene and Nationwide Engineering Research and Development have announced a strategic partnership aimed at promoting graphene-enhanced concrete. This partnership involves an equity swap where both companies will own about 5% of each other. Nationwide Engineering's Concretene technology, which reduces CO2 emissions by approximately 30%, will source graphene from Black Swan. Concurrently, Arup Group is set to join NERD, acquiring 4.2% of NERD's shares. The collaboration seeks to create a sustainable integrated supply chain to revolutionize concrete production, aligning with global decarbonization goals.
- Strategic partnership with Nationwide Engineering and Arup aims to accelerate the adoption of Concretene in the concrete industry.
- Concretene technology can reduce CO2 emissions by approximately 30%, enhancing sustainability in construction.
- Equity swap strengthens ties, with both companies holding around 5% of each other's shares, enhancing investment mutuality.
- The success of the partnerships is uncertain and reliant on the effective delivery of expected results.
- Potential risks associated with Black Swan's holding of start-up shares, including liquidity issues.
- Dependence on timely financing for development activities poses a risk to achieving commercialization goals.
At the core of the partnership between Black Swan and NERD, is the completion of an equity swap where each company will own approximately five percent (
Concurrently with the creation of the partnership between Black Swan and NERD, Arup is expected to enter into a partnership with NERD, pursuant to which it is expected to gain ownership of
NERD, a spin-out company from
NERD is rapidly advancing the adoption of Concretene in conjunction with the GEIC and is in advanced evaluation stage for projects with partners such as
Black Swan is a producer of low cost and high-performance graphene powders, derived from graphite, ideally suited for the concrete industry. Black Swan's graphene technology was originally developed by
Dedicated to sustainable development,
Equity Swap
Under the Equity Swap, NERD will issue to Black Swan 7,177 seed preferred shares (the "NERD Shares"), ranking senior to all other shares in the share capital of NERD, at a deemed price per share of
Supply Agreement
Under the Supply Agreement, Black Swan will have the right, and not the obligation, to supply NERD with bulk graphene and NERD will, subject to certain terms of the agreement including pricing mechanism and technical requirements as needed by NERD, purchase bulk graphene from Black Swan in accordance with its needs (the "Right to Supply") and the framework of the Supply Agreement, which includes purchase orders, delivery, shipment, and risk management protocols, as well as potential product development and R&D collaboration.
Concretene Technology and Performance
By using the unique properties of nanomaterial graphene, an atomically thin form of carbon, Concretene offers significant benefits in compressive, tensile and flexural strength, as well as faster curing times, less microcracking and reduced permeability to water and salts. This enables comparable or greater performance to be achieved in concrete design mixes while using less cement. The technology has been developed to deliver a product that is frictionless at the point of use, requiring no additional equipment or training and, most crucially of all, can be scaled at a viable cost to industry.
Graphene is exceedingly strong, light and flexible and is the most conductive material of both electricity and heat ever discovered. It is also hydrophobic by nature, which means getting it to mix, interact and disperse in a water-based material such as concrete is highly complex. Graphene has an immense relative surface area, up to 2500 m2 in just one (1) gram of material, which acts as a mechanical support and as an active surface for the chemical reaction that takes place as cement paste crystallises into its permanent solid state.
High-magnification study of the finished material shows differing arrangements of crystallisation between standard and graphene-enhanced concretes, with a less porous microstructure evident in the latter. However, making effective graphene-enhanced concrete is technically challenging as, if allowed, graphene agglomerates back into clumps of graphite and loses its strength-giving properties.
Not only does Concretene have the ability to disperse evenly in large volumes of concrete, but it also demonstrates stability in solution for storage and transport. Several years of optimization work have been necessary to achieve these unique performances.
Until recently, producing graphene at a scale large enough for it to be used in real-world applications has proven challenging. But with graphene suppliers such as Black Swan able to produce material in industrial volumes, graphene is becoming a realistic option for commercial scale in construction.
Corporate Matters
About
Black Swan is focused on the large-scale production and commercialization of patented high-performance and low-cost graphene products aimed at several industrial sectors, including concrete, polymers, Li-ion batteries, and others, which are expected to require large volumes of graphene. Black Swan aims to leverage the low cost and green hydroelectricity of the province of
For more information, please visit: www.blackswangraphene.com
About
For more information, please visit: www.nationwideengineering.co.uk
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1 According to Dealroom Investor Ranking; www.dealroom.co |
About
Dedicated to sustainable development, Arup is a collective of designers, consultants and experts working globally. Founded to be humane and excellent, we collaborate with our clients and partners, using imagination, technology and rigour to shape a better world.
For more information, please visit: www.arup.com
Neither
Forward-Looking Information
The information contained herein contains "forward-looking statements" or "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking statements or forward-looking information relate to information that is based on assumptions of management, forecasts of future results, and estimates of amounts not yet determinable. Any statements that express predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance are not statements of historical fact and may be "forward-looking statements" or "forward-looking information". Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation: risks related to the success or failure of the partnerships between Black Swan and NERD and NERD and ARUP to deliver the expected results, including the creation of a global chain of supply for graphene enhanced concrete, risks related to Black Swan's holding of the NERD Shares, including the risks related to holding shares of a start-up and related to the lack of liquidity thereof, risks related to the development of graphene enhanced concrete and other graphene enhanced components, risk related to the failure to obtain adequate financing on a timely basis and on acceptable terms; risks related to the outcome of legal proceedings; political and regulatory risks associated with the industry; risks related to the maintenance of stock exchange listings; risks related to environmental regulation and liability; the potential for delays in development activities or the completion of feasibility studies; the uncertainty of profitability; risks related to the inherent uncertainty of production and cost estimates and the potential for unexpected costs and expenses; results of a scoping and feasibility studies, and the possibility that future results will not be consistent with Black Swan's expectations; risks related to commodity prices fluctuations; and other risks and uncertainties related to Black Swan's prospects, properties and business detailed elsewhere in Black Swan's disclosure record. Should one or more of these risks and uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and Black Swan does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. Actual events or results could differ materially from Black Swan's expectations or projections.
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FAQ
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