Gerdau Graphene develops next-gen graphene-enhanced plastics, sees a future for fiber reinforcement

Gerdau Graphene (São Paulo, Brazil), a nanotechnology company providing advanced, graphene-enhanced materials for industrial applications, announced that it has created next-generation graphene-enhanced plastics at a Brazilian government-funded advanced materials center in São Paulo. While not reinforced with fiber, these types of masterbatches (carbon, glass, aramid, etc.) are on the roadmap, and will be available on the market in the near future, Alexandre Corrêa, CEO of Gerdau Graphene, tells CW.

The graphene-enhanced polymeric resin masterbatch formulas for polyethylene (PP) and polypropylene (PE) were created in partnership with Brazil’s EMBRAPII SENAI/SP Advanced Materials Unit, and are being piloted in a series of industrial applications within Gerdau’s factories. According to the company, the thermoplastic products created using these formulas will be stronger and offer greater overall performance while costing less to manufacture and producing less waste across the value chain. The first commercial deliveries are expected in June 2022.

Gerdau Graphene is developing graphene additives for virgin resins as well as post-industrial and post-consumer recycled plastics and polymers, including PP, PE, polystyrene (PS), polycarbonate (PC), PVC and more. 

“The biggest challenge we face is how to make plastics better by improving its material qualities, reducing costs and increasing sustainability throughout its lifecycle. We are now addressing all of these goals,” Corrêa says. “By adding specialized graphene additives to thermoplastic recipes, plastic producers can create stronger, more durable plastic products at a fraction of the cost and with far less petroleum and fewer raw materials needed. Because less plastic is needed for final products, less plastic becomes post-consumer waste. There are also downstream effects, including reductions in manufacturing waste, energy consumption, transportation and more. And, circularly, plastics can be recycled into graphene and then reused.”

Gustavo Spina Gaudencio de Almeida, technology coordinator at Instituto SENAI Innovation in Advanced Materials and Nanocomposites, says Gerdau Graphene and SENAI are involved in this project to leverage the use of graphene in Brazilian industry, increasing its level of competitiveness.