Tag Archives: PureGRAPH

First Graphene predicts increased PureGRAPH wear line lifespan following Pilbara trial

First Graphene says results from field testing of a PureGRAPH®-enhanced bucket wear liner have shown an almost six times reduction in average abrasion loss compared with a standard polyurethane liner.

Rubber wear liners are an essential component on steel fabricated mining equipment, providing a resilient, sacrificial layer to protect the steel equipment from abrasion wear during ore handling operations. The wear liners are replaced periodically and extending the periods between replacement helps maximise throughput at the mine.

The bucket wear liners were installed at a major iron ore producer’s load-out facility in the Pilbara of Western Australia, beginning in mid-2019. A standard wear liner and a graphene-enhanced ArmourGRAPH™ wear liner ran simultaneously in the same location for the 62-week period.

The ArmourGRAPH liners, developed by First Graphene and its partner newGen Group, had been prepared using a low addition rate of PureGRAPH 20 in hot cast polyurethane (PU). The PureGRAPH enhanced liners were used side-by-side with standard PU liners throughout the 62-week trial before being returned to newGen Group for assessment.

A detailed abrasion analysis confirmed the abrasion loss was significantly reduced in the PureGRAPH-enhanced ArmourGRAPH liner, with a circa-6 times reduction in average abrasion loss (improved resistance to wear). As abrasion loss is the primary mechanism of failure, a significant 6 times increase in lifespan of the wear liner is anticipated, First Graphene said.

The abrasion analysis was performed on the rear sliding face of the bucket liner as this surface is well fitted to the steel bucket and provides the most representative analysis of liner wear life, according to the company.

First Graphene CEO, Mike Bell, said the results indicated the benefits and value PureGRAPH could provide to mining and mineral processing operators.

“Reducing production downtime is major area of focus in mining and these results show the significant improvements that can be gained from adding small amounts of PureGRAPH to polymer formulations,” Bell said.

newGen Group Managing Director, Ben Walker, added: “The results of this extended trial prove that our ArmourGRAPH liners can deliver vast improvements for operators. We anticipate strong demand for a broad range of graphene-enhanced consumable products across the mining and mineral processing sectors.”

PureGRAPH enhanced bucket liners supplied to second WA iron ore miner

First Graphene says several new PureGRAPH® enhanced bucket liners have been supplied by its newGen customer to a major iron ore producer in the Pilbara of Western Australia.

newGen uses PureGRAPH high-performing graphene additives from First Graphene to manufacture its ArmourGRAPH rubber wear linings. These linings, the company says, offer outstanding strength and wear characteristics, increasing the life of wear linings and leading to significant productivity benefits for the mine.

This is the second trial of PureGRAPH high-performing graphene additives at iron ore mining operations in the state.

Back in December, newGen confirmed it had provided an ArmourGRAPH bucket liner to a major iron ore producer for a trial containing PureGRAPH20. According to the company, the bucket liner showed no signs of advanced wear or scalloping as would normally be experienced with the liners currently used in industry after 24 weeks of use.

It said the client would continue the trial, with a further inspection to be undertaken in another 12 weeks.

On top of the bucket liners, the second iron ore miner intends to also install PureGRAPH in other process equipment such as conveyor skirting products, First Graphene says.

The company said: “PureGRAPH enhanced wear liners continue to be adopted across the mining industry, due to their extended life, ease of use and enhanced fire retardancy properties. As the benefits continue to be validated, the industry is expected to adopt graphene-enhanced materials as a standard approach.”

Craig McGuckin, Managing Director for First Graphene, said: “Adoption of PureGRAPH enhanced products by another major iron ore producer is evidence of the quality of First Graphene’s products. Only First Graphene has the capacity to deliver tonnage volumes of high-performing graphene to users as they adopt graphene into their products.”