Directa Plus recently announced that it has qualified for a total of €0.7 million in loans under the Italian government's Covid-19 recovery plan. The Company said it took advantage of the low-cost liquidity offered by the Italian Government, to accelerate its strategic program.

It said the funds were being provided in two tranches by Intesa Sanpaolo, being a €0.5 million loan and a €0.2 million leasing loan to fund the acquisition of new machinery for the company's production facility.

HS2 London tunnels contractor Skanska Costain Strabag JV (SCS JV) is to pioneer the on-site of 3D printing of graphene-reinforced concrete. The technology, called ‘Printfrastructure’, promises to bring big environmental benefits and cost savings, if deployed more widely.

First proof of concept trials are scheduled to begin in the spring, using 5 tonne computer-operated robots. These will initially be used to build part of the retaining walls for the mainline out of Euston station as well as materials stores on the project.

A research collaboration between The University of Adelaide in Australia and the National Physical Laboratory has led to the development of a validated analytical tool, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), for the characterization and quality control of FLG and non-graphene impurities in powder form. TGA is typically used to assess and characterize the thermal properties and impurities of minerals, polymers, and carbon materials. However, its was found to have potential for use as a characterization tool for regulating the quality of graphene materials.

Now, this affordable, simple and reliable method of analysis could be used to improve the quality control measures used in the graphene industry.

UK's G2O Water Technologies has reported securing its first commercial contract for the enhancement of water filtration membranes with graphene oxide.

The Company explains that the advantages of using graphene oxide lie in the enhancement of membrane performance, as it mitigates the effects of fouling one of the biggest challenges operators of membrane-based water filtration systems face. With a coating of graphene oxide, successfully developed and piloted by the company in the northwest of England in collaboration with Hydrasyst Limited, operators can improve operational efficiency, reduce energy consumption and decrease chemical usage. It is anticipated that this will extend the lifetime of the membranes, as well as significantly reduce the cost and environmental impact of water treatment.