Ramaco Resources Inc. formally acquired a patent from the US Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) for the commercial development of a coal-to-products technology. The patented process converts coal and coal-related mining waste into high-quality, affordable graphene, which can be used in vehicle batteries, construction and infrastructure materials, and a wide range of consumer products.

Such carbon nanosheets are of growing strategic importance to the national economy and defense. This month China announced restrictions on its export of graphite on national security grounds, a material to which carbon nanosheets serve as a lab-created alternative.

The NETL technology makes the large-scale production of carbon nanosheets in a simple one-reactor process with a high product yield. Using inexpensive domestic coal as the base manufacturing feedstock also makes the economics more attractive, as opposed to more expensive feedstocks such as petroleum. The new technology brings the manufacturing costs in line with other specialty carbon materials used to enhance building materials.

Additionally, said Ramaco, it is conceivable that the coal-related waste housed in mine impoundments could also be used to make nanosheets, which offers additional opportunities to manufacture useful products from this waste.

NETL and Ramaco have been longstanding partners. (Earlier post.) In June 2018, NETL and Ramaco signed a cooperative research and development agreement to discover new uses for coal. NETL researchers have also collaborated with Ramaco to take advantage of coal-derived carbon nanosheets to improve the performance of cement composites.

Ramaco is an operator and developer of high-quality, low-cost metallurgical coal in southern West Virginia, southwestern Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvania. The company currently has three active mining complexes in Central Appalachia and one mine not yet in production near Sheridan, Wyoming.

Contiguous to the Wyoming mine it operates a research and pilot facility related to the production of advanced carbon products and materials from coal. In connection with these activities, it holds a body of roughly 50 intellectual property patents, pending applications, exclusive licensing agreements and various trademarks.