Next-Level Graphene From Natural Gas Proves Use in Energy Applications
Graphene Manufacturing Group’s novel process produces scalable, tuneable material. Geoff Giordano April 10, 2025
Graphene Manufacturing Group CEO Craig Nicol reviews graphene cathode ink for the company’s graphene aluminium ion battery.
Australia’s Graphene Manufacturing Group (GMG) has quickly made a name for itself by producing graphene from low-cost natural gas through its proprietary production process.
The material’s numerous applications include as a fuel-saving lubricant for engines, a performance-enhancing material for temperature control (heating, cooling) coatings, and as an additive to lithium-ion batteries to improve charging and efficiency.
GMG’s graphene production process does not use mined graphite, resulting in fewer contaminants and higher quality for use in energy-saving and energy-storage products, said founder and CEO Craig Nicol.
“We can control the quality of our graphene to a much higher degree, so its performance in downstream products is markedly improved over graphite graphene,” Nicol explained. Eventually, GMG’s graphene can find a place for a wide range of industries.
Next-level graphene
In 2017 and 2018, GMG developed and proved its proprietary production process to produce GMG Graphene from natural gas (methane) instead of mined graphite. The resulting graphene is of higher quality, scalable and tuneable, with low input costs.
Using plasma technology, GMG converts low-cost methane into graphene (carbon) and hydrogen.
“We can tune the process to control the type of graphene produced to the specific application [battery, heat transfer, lubrication],” Nicol explained. “We have developed a graphene coating that provides a micron-thin film corrosion protection and increases heat transfer by 2.1 times over bare aluminum. While we are awaiting EPA approval in USA, the product is being distributed in various countries and tested by large manufacturers.”
GMG is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange Ventures (TSXV) in Canada and traded on the OTC:QX markets in the U.S.
Energy storage applications
In the energy storage segment, GMG and the University of Queensland are working with development support from Rio Tinto to advance research and development of GMG graphene aluminium-ion batteries and ultimately explore their commercialization.
“We have developed a graphene additive for lithium ion batteries called SUPA G, which can be added to lithium ion batteries in small dosages (1%) to improve their charging and efficiency. We also have exclusively licensed and are developing internally a next-generation battery technology using the aluminum ion rather than the lithium ion with our graphene.”
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Graphene Manufacturing Group battery cells before final assembly of a graphene aluminium ion battery. Credit: Graphene Manufacturing Group
GMG’s graphene aluminium ion battery can be charged at up 60 times faster than a lithium ion battery with similar energy density. “It is made of largely aluminum and carbon (graphene) with the same equipment lithium ion batteries are made with and has a lower cost estimate for materials and capital expenditure at scale. We are currently in the electrochemistry optimization phase of the battery’s development.”
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Energy savings capabilities
In the energy-savings segment, GMG has focused on applying its material in graphene-enhanced heating, ventilating and air conditioning and refrigeration (HVAC-R) coating and engine graphene lubricant additives.
“GMG and its customers have successfully demonstrated HVAC-R coating projects, offering customers improvement in the efficiency of space cooling,” Nicol said. “Our Thermal XR ENHANCE is the first and only thermal air conditioning coating to be approved on the Singapore Green Building Council product approved list. We are also seeing improved heat transfer when coating heat sinks that are commonly used in electronics.”
When applied to an aluminium surface, Thermal XR ENHANCE increases thermal radiation over eight times bare aluminium at 100 degrees Celsius. “This represents a massive opportunity for HVAC-R and any heat exchanger, as our coating does not need power. It is always ‘on’ and is coated once in the equipment’s life. The coating has also survived over 15,000 hours of exposure in the ASTM B117 Marine Air Corrosion sale spray test; it is one of only a handful of coatings worldwide to achieve this level of performance.”
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GMG is also developing graphene lubricant additives that aim to reduce engine friction and fuel consumption. While final testing is being conducted, “typically we see a 5% to 10% fuel saving with customer engines.”
Capacity and partnerships
GMG is focused on transitioning from a research and development company to a commercial operation.
“We have just switched on our new modular graphene production plant in Brisbane. We also have a graphene blending plant that produce approximately 1 million liters of coating a year. We also have our own pilot plant for SUPA G and G Lubricant additives, and it has its own battery development center in which battery cells are made in weekly sprints.”
GMG is working with Rio Tinto develop graphene aluminium-ion batteries for use in heavy mobile equipment on mine sites. GMG has also signed a distribution agreement with Nu-Calgon. The leading HVAC-R chemical supplier in North America will partner with GMG to provide Thermal-XR to the HVAC-R markets in the US, Mexico, Canada and the Caribbean.
Thermal-XR won product of the year honors in November at the AIRAH 2024 awards in Melbourne. The awards celebrate outstanding achievements from across Australia’s HVAC-R industry.
“This achievement is a direct result of the dedication and innovation of our team, and it reinforces our commitment to advancing energy efficiency and sustainability in the HVAC industry,” Nicol noted. “We believe Thermal-XR represents the future of high-performance solutions, and we are proud to contribute to a more sustainable and energy-efficient world.”
Editor's note: This is the seventh of our new series on impressive battery-industry startups. Read the first six here. Check back soon for our next feature.
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