Grant: Applied Research and Development Grants - Level 1

Great Lakes Graphite (GLK) is an industrial mineral company focused on production and supply ofvalue-added carbon products. Their Matheson Micronization facility, entering production at the end of2015, will produce micronized graphite (graphite with particle sizes in the scale of 10mm) for a range ofindustrial uses. As part of the recommissioning of the Matheson Facility (previously used for micronizationof other minerals) GLK is developing and implementing a number of processing steps using repurposedand new equipment and infrastructure. For immediate development after commissioning, Great LakesGraphite has a strategic list of 7 process improvement objectives to be achieved. This project seeks toaddress one of these 7 targets, as described below.In repurposing the Matheson Facility for the micronization of Graphite, GLK has identified a need to devisea satisfactory packaging process for the final process while increasing the bulk density of the processedgraphite in order to improve shipping logistics and economics. Coming out of the micronization processthe graphite powder has a bulk density of approximately .33g/cm3. At this density, a 50kg bag wouldcontain 151.5L of finished product, resulting in shipping costs of approximately $5022 per order, assumingdestination of Toronto, Ontario.By increasing the density of the packaged product (referred to in this application as bagged density),GLK will be able to reduce transportation and logistics costs for its finished product, and be competitive inthe marketplace. With the facility location in Matheson Ontario, transportation of product is a significantfactor in overall cost-to-market for GLK. Achieving these goals will allow GLK to achieve commercial salesof its product and move to future phases of its strategic development, including further processing of themicronized graphite for high end-markets including the fast growing lithium-ion battery market.To achieve the above objectives, the research team will use physical testing results and available industrydata to devise a conceptual packaging process for incorporation by GLK into their Matheson processingfacility. This packaging process will be designed to increase the unprocessed bulk density of themicronized graphite to a satisfactory ""bagged"" density, and then load the resulting material into bagsfor bundling and shipping.Since behavior of powdered industrial minerals is highly variable and dependent on the shape, size, sizedistribution, density, and other properties, standard reference materials are not available for GLK'sproducts. For this reason, GLK and the research team have determined that physical testing must beperformed in advance of packaging system selection. The understanding gained by Great Lakes Graphiteby this project will be critical in increasing the companies understanding of their product as produced bytheir process. Beyond the immediate benefits of reducing shipping cost, the testing capabilities developedby Canadore College will enable GLK to continue ongoing testing and product development as they workon future product developments including reshaping, coating, and other finishing techniques for theirmicronized graphite.