Saint Jean Carbon Files Patent for Spherically Shaping Graphite for Lithium Ion Batteries
OAKVILLE, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Nov 9, 2015) - Saint Jean Carbon Inc. ("Saint Jean" or the "Company") (TSX VENTURE:SJL), a carbon sciences company engaged in the development of natural graphite properties and related carbon products, is pleased to announce that the company has successfully filed a patent to produce spherically-shaped graphite to be used in lithium Ion batteries. The spherical shape offers the best volume to area ratio and the maximum materials density. All of this leads to high specific volumetric energy package, ultimately giving a better discharge and recharge rate. The system is engineered to produce material in a range of sizes from 3 microns to 30 microns with 2.5 micron increments.
Paul Ogilvie, CEO, commented: "Our team has spent many years working through the hurdles presented by the difficulty in producing spherical shaped graphite. A number of successful attempts have led us to the final design. As the electric car business continues to grow and with that, possibly, the demand for spherical shaped graphite will grow. If you want to be in the business of supplying future demands, you need to know how to make the material needed. That will mean more than just having a graphite resource, but also, a graphite engineering team."
The basics of the system are as follows: Spherical graphite is produced by moving (circulating) the micronized graphite material at great speed in a stainless steel cylinder, allowing the weight of the material to carry itself into the wall of the cylinder, with enough impact to break off the small rough protruding pieces on the planner edge, thus leaving a smooth edge. The impact must be soft enough not to crush the material, yet strong enough to smooth out the rough edges producing a potato like shape. The "wanding method" is comprised of a long vertical cylinder with articulating wands, that rotate in the opposing direction to the air feed direction, encouraging the graphite to continually bounce off the wall as it travels up the cylinder. Contemporaneously, the graphite and pressurized air meet at the blending coupling and enter the cylinder at the base; angled to flow the air up the walls of the cylinder in a spiral pattern. Traveling up and into the cylinder causes the micronized graphite to lightly bouncing off the interior wall of the cylinder at a tremendous velocity. The material repeatedly hits the interior wall through the air feed and the wanding also forces the material to strike the wall repeatedly. At the top, the material is captured in the recovery filtration system - the system is a continuous feed and can produce material from3 microns in 30 microns in 2.5 micron increments.
The diagram below, shows the basic functioning processes and the material flow. The Company plans to complete a bench scale version that should be able to produce sample material for customers. The next step in the process is the carbon coating of the shaped material. The Company will complete the patent filing for the coater by mid next week, with a goal to release that information to our shareholders. Each of these steps continues to move the Company forward in its efforts to create commercially-available value-added graphene products for the growing markets it represents.
To view diagram please click on the following link: http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/SJL1109.pdf
Dr. Don MacIntyre, the Company's geologist, P. Geo., and Qualified Person, reviewed and approved the technical and scientific information in this release.
About Saint Jean
Saint Jean is a publicly traded carbon sciences company, with interest in graphite mining claims on five 100% Company-owned properties located in the province of Quebec in Canada. The five properties include the Walker property, a past producing mine, the Wallingford property, the St. Jovite property, East Miller and Clot property. For information on Saint Jean's other properties and the latest news please go to the website: www.saintjeancarbon.com
On behalf of the Board of Directors
Saint Jean Carbon Inc.
Paul Ogilvie, CEO and Director
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FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS: This news release contains forward-looking statements, within the meaning of applicable securities legislation, concerning Saint Jean's business and affairs. In certain cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "intends", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved". Such forward-looking statements include those with respect to the Company's intention to complete the Offering, use the proceeds of the Offering as working capital to fund the continued development of the Company's business, the Company's intention to complete the Divestitures and the intention to become a graphite procuring company.
These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, and are naturally subject to uncertainty and changes in circumstances that may cause actual results to differ materially. The forward-looking statements in this news release assume, inter alia, that the conditions for completion of the Transaction, including regulatory and shareholder approvals, if necessary, will be met.
Although Saint Jean believes that the expectations represented in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, there can be no assurance that these expectations will prove to be correct. There are risks which could affect Saint Jean's ability to complete the Transaction, the impact of general global economic conditions and the risk that they will deteriorate, industry conditions, including fluctuations in the price of supplies and the risk that they will increase, that required consents and approvals from regulatory authorities will not be obtained, that activity in the lump or vein graphite business will not be at the level or of the nature anticipated, liabilities and risks inherent in Saint Jean's operations, technical problems, equipment failure and construction delay.
Statements of past performance should not be construed as an indication of future performance. Forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties, should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results, and will not necessarily be accurate indications of whether or not such results will be achieved. A number of factors, including those discussed above, could cause actual results to differ materially from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements. Any such forward-looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement.
All of the forward-looking statements made in this press release are qualified by these cautionary statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking information is provided as of the date of this press release, and Saint Jean assumes no obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances, except as may be required under applicable securities laws.
