Kursrakete Northern Graphite Corp

The Next Rare Earth... One Word, Benjamin: Graphene

By Christian DeHaemer
Monday, March 12th, 2012

When you think of a strong material, wood, concrete, or steel probably come to mind...

But they fail in comparison to the superior properties of graphene.

For those who don't know, graphene is a single layer of graphite, one atom thick.

That's right — it's the same material that's in your pencil tip.

But it is a pure material with unprecedented strength: ten times stronger than steel and six times lighter.

It can also conduct electricity, and therefore can be used as a transistor.

And that's just the tip of the iceberg for this material of the future.

First, let me tell you the amazing story of how it came to be...

Scotch Tape and Dumb Luck

Back in 2004, a couple of scientists working at the University of Manchester wanted to see if they could get a single layer of graphite.

At the time, this nanomaterial — which is shaped like chicken wire (the Buckminster Fuller six-sided shape) — kept wrapping itself in a tube.

The scientists, Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov, asked a grad student to shave the thinnest layer of graphite he could.

After looking under a powerful microscope, it was determined to be more than 1,000 atoms thick. They then took their sample to a powerful machine that could see and manipulate atoms.

While waiting for their colleague to prepare the highly sensitive equipment, our heroes noticed the operators used Scotch tape to clean the machine, picking up dust and particles...

Eureka!

Our intrepid researchers put a flake of graphite between Scotch tape and pulled it apart. The graphite split, and split, and split until they had a single layer: a sheet of graphite one atom thick.

Thus, graphene was born.

Geim and Novoselov won the Nobel Prizes in 2010 for their discovery. Since then, hundreds of researchers the world over have jumped on the bandwagon in an effort to make this incredible material useful.

What can it do? you ask. Well, I'll tell you...

Miracle Product

Graphene has a high strength-to-weight ratio, making it the perfect material for use in automobiles, rockets, boats, windmill blades, and airplanes.

Nikhil Koratkar, professor in the Department of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Nuclear Engineering at Rensselaer, said:

I’ve been working in nanocomposites for 10 years, and graphene is the best one I’ve ever seen in terms of mechanical properties. Graphene is far superior to carbon nanotubes or any other known nanofiller in transferring its exceptional strength and mechanical properties to a host material.

Not only does graphene have the strength of a flat Buckyball, but it makes excellent transistors.

The sheets are so thin, you can control the binary on/off switch by applying an electric field. This is impossible to do with metals because you can't make metal films thin enough without losing transmission abilities.

As a result, graphene-based transistors can run at higher frequencies and with more efficiency than the silicon transistors in common use today.

That means graphene is faster and uses less power.

Furthermore, graphene can replace indium-based electronics for light-emitting diodes. This means lower-cost display screens in mobile devices.
 

The benefits continue:

• Graphene can be used to store hydrogen for fuel cell powered vehicles.
• Graphene is used in medical sensors to diagnose diseases. This miracle material has a unique property in that it has a wide surface area with which it attracts certain molecules that are sensitive to particular diseases.
• A researcher named Fazel Yavari has developed graphene foam: “a new sensor to detect extremely small quantities of hazardous gases. The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute doctoral student harnessed the power of the world’s thinnest material, graphene, to create a device that is durable, inexpensive to make, and incredibly sensitive.”
• Graphene is resistant to powerful acids and alkalis, and so can be used as an inert coating.
• It can be used as an ultra-capacitor with better performance than batteries.
• The University of Technology in Sydney has developed a graphene paper that is super thin, yet strong enough to be used in rockets. And as graphene doesn't show up on radar, it would invisible.

Graphene is the material of the future. But like rare earth metals, it is in limited supply...

Ein neues informatives Interview mit Bob Moriarty - u.a. über den Graphit-Sektor - wurde gestern online gestellt:

http://graphitestocksblog.agoracom.com/2012/03/26/...d-for-500-gains/


As such, when someone like Bob Moriarty speaks, it behooves all of us to listen.  So what did we talk about today?

1. Why the explosion of interest, investment and growth in new graphite mine development? Is it for real?

2. Why graphite is an analog of oil.

3. Why the present ratio of the XAU (Philly Gold and Silver Index) over gold almost guarantees a 500% return on gold shares over the next two years.

4. Why the banking system is going to collapse / The implications of $708 trillion dollars in derivatives.

5. Middle East tension

This was a great interview.  One of the best we’ve had with a major market commentator, which have included the likes of  Eric Sprott, JF Tardif, Barry Ritholtz , Paul Kedrosky and Eric Coffin.  What made it one of our better ones? Though I agree with much that Bob had to say, I challenged him by playing Devil’s Advocate and arguing the case as presented by Wall Street and the mass media.  Though Bob didn’t budge and argued his case even harder, he was kind of enough to tell me how pleased he was with the interview.

The ultimate judge will be you, so listen in on the first few minutes and see if it carries you through to the fireworks at the end.

On behalf of myself and the entire listening audience, I want to thank Bob for taking time out of his Sunday to speak with us.   

Der Link in #27 funktioniert nicht, hier nochmal: http://graphitestocksblog.agoracom.com/2012/03/26/...d-for-500-gains/

Northern Graphite wird in der aktuellen Ausgabe des Energy Report-Interviews von Chris Berry positiv erwähnt. Mr. Berry gilt als Vorreiter im Graphit-Sektor, u.a. war er einer der Initiatoren der 1. Graphit-Konferenz in Vancouver.

Energy Metals Bonanza: Chris Berry

TICKERS: EFR, EUU; TGP, FMS, LI, NGC; NGPHF, RCK; RCKTF; RJIA, SGH, STM; STHJF, TLH, WLC; WLCDF

Source: Brian Sylvester of The Energy Report  (3/27/12)

It's a great time to be invested in energy metals, says Chris Berry, president and founder of House Mountain Partners. The current worldwide desire for a higher quality of life is a trend that will continue, argues Berry. In this exclusive interview with The Energy Report, Berry highlights the amount of research and development underway in the tech and energy sectors and why it spells a bullish message for lithium, graphite and uranium..

..

TER: What are some plays that you're following?

CB: Northern Graphite Corporation (NGC:TSX; NGPHF:OTCQX) is a company that we've followed from before its initial public offering and still really like. It has extremely strong management that has experience in graphite mining. The metallurgy of its Bissett Creek property right off of the Trans-Canada Highway is very well understood, thanks to recent findings by the company as well as a great deal of historical work. Northern Graphite is well on its way to producing a bankable feasibility study in Q112 or Q212. It's a highly scalable resource that appears open in multiple directions and is likely to grow the overall tonnage. Bisset Creek demonstrates a low capital expenditure of CAD$70-80M and competitive cash costs of $1,000/t. Finally, Northern Graphite released successful pilot plant test results earlier this year, where results showed that more than 50% of the concentrate produced will be jumbo-size +48 mesh flake, averaging 97.7% graphitic carbon. All of this adds up to what I think will be a very high-margin business. 

Quelle: http://www.theenergyreport.com/pub/na/12928

Northern Graphite wird heute positiv im Canaccord's Morning Coffee erwähnt, und läuft mit Focus Metals und Standard Graphite gegen den Trend nach oben

"Graphite Sector

Flinders Resources* (FDR : TSX-V : $2.23), Net Change: 0.35, % Change: 18.62%, Volume: 1,658,428

Northern Graphite* (NGC : TSX-V : $2.69), Net Change: 0.06,% Change: 2.28%, Volume: 646,809

Good thing graphite can withstand temperatures of up to 3,200 degrees Celsius – 'cause the sector is on fire!

Flinders joined Northern Graphite (NGC) as two leaders in the junior graphite space that are trading significantly higher than recently announced/closed financing. Flinders announced a proposed financing Monday morning and is now trading ~33% higher than the financing price. While Northern Graphite is currently trading ~59% higher than the price of its recently-closed financing. Investors just can't get enough of these junior graphite players.

Flinders' President & CEO, Martin McFarlane, said the net proceeds of the private placement will enable Flinders to substantially advance its Kringel graphite mine in Sweden toward production. Further highlighting, "Flinders' Kringel graphite mine is one of the most advanced graphite projects globally and being already fully permitted and constructed, will be amongst first to deliver premium high-quality large flake graphite to European customers."

 Separately over the weekend, one of the junior resource sector's most followed newsletter writer's had made the following comments, "We have been quietly studying the possibility of our next Super Major bull market, this time by graphite. We expect graphite to be compared with the Rare Earths bull market in many ways, for example that China controls over 70% of the world's output." Currently, the newsletter writer's favoured publically-traded junior graphite name is Flinders."

Quelle: http://www.stockhouse.com/Bullboards/...&r=0&s=NGC&t=LIST

Sehr informativer Artikel, den jeder Investor u. Interessent im Graphit-Sektor durchlesen sollte.

Riding the graphite bull

Andrew Topf | March 27, 2012 

Chris Berry, founder of Mountain Partners asset management company, provided an interesting summary of the graphite space while speaking at the recent Graphite Express Conference in Vancouver.

The conference featured a keynote address from Berry and 5-minute presentations from some of the key graphite explorers, including Zimtu Capital Corp., Northern Graphite, Lomiko Metals, Strike Graphite, Focus Metals, Graphite One Resources, First Graphite, and Standard Graphite. A similar conference followed in Toronto.

Investor interest in graphite has been growing. Last December saw the first graphite conference in London, UK presented by online journal Industrial Minerals.

The journal has a useful page on graphite and provides the following key facts on the mineral:

• graphite comes in three forms: amorphous, flake and vein/lump. Amorphous graphite contains 70-75% carbon and is the most common. Flake graphite is 85-90% carbon and is used for higher value applications like batteries. Vein/lump graphite is 90-96% carbon and is most valuable because it requires the least processing.
• graphite is used in refractories – used to line high-temperature equipment; pencils; lithium-ion batteries – used in consumer electronics and electric vehicles; fuel cells; and Pebble Bed nuclear reactors. It is used in foundries, lubricants and brake linings. Graphite is also used to produce graphene, a tightly packed single layer of carbon atoms that can be used to make inexpensive solar panels, powerful transistors, and even a wafer-thin tablet that could be the next-generation iPad.
• Graphene, extremely light and strong, has been called “the world’s next wonder material.”
• the closure of graphite mines in China, which produces 75% of the world’s graphite, has resulted in a fall in global graphite production to 1.3 million tonnes per annum in 2011. Like rare earths, China is restricting the export of graphite to protect its own domestic industries. The second largest producer is India, followed by Brazil, North Korea, Austria and Canada.
• Graphite exploration is focused in Canada, with eight companies exploring properties in Quebec and Ontario. Europe has a number of mothballed mines that could return to production.

Berry, a former Wall Street broker and co-publisher of the Morning Notes investment newsletter, presents the case for graphite as a key solution in solving the global dilemma of how to provide electrification to millions in the developing world, and as a critical metal for developing new battery and nuclear power technology.

What follows below are his key points:

• The United States, Europe and China have included graphite among a short list of critical metals.
• the US Geological Service estimates the graphite market to be 10 times the size of the market for rare earth elements. The graphite market is about the same size as the market for nickel. 60% of the market is amorphous graphite and 40% is flake graphite. Most of the growth is in flake graphite (see bullet point below)
• natural graphite can be processed to make synthetic graphite useful for high-value applications like lithium-ion batteries, but the process is expensive – $10,000 to $20,000/ton versus $3-4,000/t for flake graphite. The result is a race to find the best flake graphite deposits.
• graphite is different from gold, silver, copper, etc because users require a specific carbon purity level. “It’s security of supply that keeps you up at night,” says Berry.
• 33% of the graphite market produces refractories and crucibles (used in foundries); only 5% is for batteries. But the lithium-ion battery market is expected to grow by 25% a year.
• Three of the largest lithium-ion battery makers in the world, GS Yuasa Corp, LG Chem and Liotech, a consortium between Russia and China, are building the largest lithium-ion battery plant in the world, in Russia. “Just these three heavy hitters in the battery space are making multi-million dollar bets on the future of lithium-ion technology, which cannot push forward without graphite,” says Berry.
• future uses of graphite could include vanadium-redox batteries and hydrogen fuel cells. Graphite could also potentially replace silicon in microchips and silver used in solar panels.
• by 2020 world consumption of graphite will be 1.9m tonnes, which does not include graphite needed for batteries, fuel cells and Pebble Bed nuclear reactors.
• China will require 400,000 tonnes of large flake graphite for Pebble Bed nuclear reactors and lithium-ion batteries will require 327,000 tonnes. The current supply of large flake graphite is 400,000t, so there will be a need to double the supply of large flake graphite used in batteries and nuclear reactors in the next eight years. ”The takeaway is if you buy into the electrification thesis, and I’m halfway right, demand should easily outstrip supply,” says Berry.

Gary Economo, CEO of Focus Metals, also makes a number of useful points about graphite in his recently penned article in Proactive Investors USA & Canada. A select few appear below:

• If there is any doubt about graphite’s importance as a commodity, one only has to look at the trebling of market prices for 97% graphite concentrate during the last decade.
• Green, off-petroleum technologies are driving demand growth towards a market bubble that even a tsunami of new global production will be unable to deflate by 2020.
• Industrial Minerals reports that graphite prices between mid-2011 and the end of January 2012 appear to have stabilized after dropping through the end of last year.
• A current surplus of product in the world market and end-user depletion of stockpiles contributed to the downturn.
• The United States produces no graphite and is 100% dependent on imports to meet its industrial and technology needs. As a continental neighbor, it makes sense for Canada to look south first, then Europe and Asia as it builds its customer base. 

Quelle: http://www.mining.com/2012/03/27/riding-the-graphite-bull/

Northern Graphit kommt seinem Threadnamen "Kursrakete" weiterhin nach, heute schon wieder ein neues ATH gerissen. Beeindruckende Dynamik in diesem Wert!

Heutiger comment von David Pescod:

NORTHERN GRAPHITE (V-NGC) $3.19 +0.17

So much for that old saying of Sell in May and Go

Away...this year it came very early and it feels like it was

Sell in February!

There are some writers though, such as Keith Schaefer

suggesting that, “No, this year it won’t be sell in May, that

you are going to use April as a time to load up”...at least

for the oil stocks. Needless to say, we hope he’s right, but

in the meantime, there has been only about one sector that

we can see that has had any joy at all and that’s graphite.

One of the major players in that has been Northern

Graphite which we have written up once before, but we

have to say how amazed we are...just look at the chart!

Jimmy Dines is being given credit for much of the bump

in the last while as his recent newsletter suggested we are

on the verge of a big bull market for the graphite sector,

but in the meantime, the importance to graphite is it is

used in batteries.

Canaccord’s Instant Coffee writes, “Currently, batteries

account for roughly 5% of global graphite demand. However,

demand for lithium-ion batteries for use in various

applications is growing by 20% per year. As you need 20

times more graphite in a lithium-ion battery than you do

lithium, it is clear that there is potentially strong demand

for large-flake, high-purity graphite in the future.”

Is there anything left in Northern Graphite after all this?

Tomorrow we should be printing an interview we have with

Greg Bowes of Northern Graphite as he explains the different

types of graphite out there and the plans for the company

over the next year...which could be quite interesting if

graphite continues to attract its current luster. 

Urlaub gemacht, der Kurs aber wohl nicht! Hammer, oder??

Rechnet man mit der aktuellen Ressource beträgt der Net Present Value (NPV) ca. 180 Millionen CAD, das sind dann ca. 4 CAD pro share (bei 10%tiger Diskontirrung). Der NAV wurde von MGI (im aktuellen Report) auf 3,50 CAD gesetzt. Demnach ist rechnerisch gesehen, nur noch marginal Upside-Potential beim Aktienkurs vorhanden. 

Man sollte jedoch noch einige entscheidende Fakten beachten, die darauf schließen lassen, dass das Potential bei Northern Graphite noch lange nicht ausgeschöpft ist.

Hier ein paar Bsp.
1. Die Insider- & Institutionen-Holdings bei Northern Graphite sind absolut weltklasse, erst jüngstens sind zwei der besten Investoren im Rohstoffsektor (Sprott und Rick Rule) im Großformat eingestiegen, das ist das wahre 'smart money' und lässt erkennen, dass wir noch lange nicht am Ende des Hypes stehen

2.  Der Gehalt Graphit-Ressource ist zwar bei Focus Metals der höchste (16%), die Ressource von Northern Graphite kann jedoch die höchste Reinheit vorweisen. 80% der Ressource von NGC enthält enorm reine Graphit-Flocken, ca. 50% Jumbo Flake und 30% Large Flake (siehe aktuelle Präsentation). Mit diesen Reinheitsstufen lassen sich die höchsten Verkaufspreise erzielen. Das sind entscheidende Vorteile! 

3. Das Explorationspotential ist bei und Northern Graphite (und auch bei Focus Metals) enorm hoch, bei beiden Hauptprojekten ist gegenwärtig nur ein Bruchteil des Projektes exploriert

Was denkt ihr? 
 

Gruß,

carpe 
 

Diese news zeigt ein weiteres Mal die Privilegien des Hauptprojektes von Northern Graphit aus. Die Gehalte der Garphit-Lagerstätte mögen zwar nicht hoch sein, die Qualität und Reinheit der Ressource gehören aber zu den besten weltweit!

April 02, 2012 08:30 ET

Northern Graphite Successfully Produces and Tests Spherical Graphite for Use in Lithium Ion Batteries

OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - April 2, 2012) - Northern Graphite Corporation (TSX VENTURE:NGC)(OTCQX:NGPHF) is pleased to announce that the Company has successfully manufactured test quantities of spherical graphite from graphite concentrate produced from the Company's 100% owned Bissett Creek deposit. The spherical graphite has been evaluated in Lithium/graphite battery test cells and the performance of these cells demonstrated that it meets or exceeds current commercial performance requirements and that Bissett Creek graphite does not contain any impurities that negatively affect cell performance. Further test cycles are on-going. The cells were made and testing carried out in a highly qualified, independent laboratory.

Gregory Bowes, Chief Executive Officer, commented that: "Value added processing such as the manufacture of spherical graphite is a big part of Northern Graphite strategy to create value for shareholders." He added that: "As a result of work that has been completed over the last two years we can now provide potential strategic and offtake partners with representative test samples of graphite concentrate produced using the same flow sheet that will be employed in a full scale mine, and spherical graphite based on that concentrate."

About Spherical Graphite

Spherical graphite is used to make the anodes in Li ion batteries and is manufactured from the flake concentrate produced by graphite mining operations. The upgrading process consists of micronizing the graphite flakes, rounding them to create a spherical or "potato" shape, and purifying them to increase the carbon content to 99.95%. Northern Graphite micronized and rounded its Bissett Creek graphite to basic industry specifications and can modify it to meet the requirements of various products and manufacturers. Spherical graphite sells for much higher prices than run of mine graphite concentrates and could further enhance the economics of the Bissett Creek Project.

Currently, almost all spherical graphite is produced from small flake concentrates (-100 to +150 mesh) and 70% of the graphite is destroyed in the process. As a result, it takes three tonnes of small flake graphite to make one tonne of spherical graphite. These losses are the single largest cost in the manufacturing of spherical graphite. However, Northern Graphite has achieved spherical graphite yields from its large flake concentrate as high as 70% which will substantially reduce production costs. The large flake nature of the Bissett Creek deposit provides the Company with the flexibility to sell its concentrates into high value, large flake markets or produce spherical graphite at competitive costs for the Li ion battery market.

Almost all spherical graphite is currently produced in China and purified using strong acids which results in large volumes of acidic and toxic waste. This method is not environmentally sustainable as the demand for, and production of, Li ion batteries increases. It is also inconsistent with the green energy objectives of the hybrid and all electric car industry. The high quality and purity of graphite from Bissett Creek has enabled the Company to develop a proprietary purification technology that is environmentally friendly and sustainable. The technology works at much lower temperatures than traditional thermal purification techniques and will result in lower capital and operating costs.

Value Added Processing

Based on the positive test results, the Company will commence engineering and design work to define the capital and operating costs of a facility to upgrade Bissett Creek graphite concentrate into spherical graphite. The objective is to provide Li ion battery manufacturers with a stable, secure source of supply that is produced in an environmentally acceptable manner. This facility will initially be based on the approximately 20% of Bissett Creek production that is -80 mesh with the ability to scale it to larger volumes in the future.

Don Baxter, P.Eng, President of the Company and a "Qualified Person" under 43-101, is responsible for and has reviewed and approved the technical content of this press release.

The Graphite Market

Graphite prices have increased substantially due to the ongoing modernization of China and other emerging economies which has resulted in strong demand from traditional steel and automotive markets. In addition, new applications such as lithium ion batteries, vanadium redox batteries, fuel cells and nuclear power have the potential to create significant incremental demand growth. The manufacturing of Li ion batteries requires up to 30 times more graphite than lithium and their use in the growing EV/HEV market is expected to require significant increases in graphite production. However, graphite production and exports from China, which produces 70% of the world's supply, are expected to decline and an export tax and a licensing system have been instituted. As a result, both the European Union and the United States have declared graphite a supply critical mineral.

Northern Graphite Corporation

Northern Graphite Corporation is a Canadian company that has a 100% interest in the Bissett Creek graphite deposit located in eastern Ontario. Northern Graphite is well positioned to benefit from this compelling supply/demand dynamic with a high purity, large flake, scalable deposit that is located close to infrastructure. A bankable Final Feasibility Study ("FS") and permitting are expected to be completed in the first half of 2012, following which mine construction could commence, subject to the results of the FS and financing. Additional information on Northern Graphite can be found under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and on the Company's website at www.northerngraphite.com.

This press release contains forward-looking statements, which can be identified by the use of statements that include words such as "could", "potential", "believe", "expect", "anticipate", "intend", "plan", "likely", "will" or other similar words or phrases. These statements are only current predictions and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our or our industry's actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from those anticipated by the forward-looking statements. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless otherwise required by applicable securities laws. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Quelle: http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/...ture-ngc-1639033.htm 

Rallye bei NGC sollte nach den TOP news heute weitergehen, pre Bids bereits bei 3,40 CAD

Ja, nach dieser mächtigen Rally ist die Rückschlaggefahr natürlich groß. Jedoch heißt es weiter: The Trend is your friend.. setzt nach starken news wieder an! Evtl. teilst du deine Position in NGC und FMS auf, oder nimmst noch SGH mit rein. Dann hast du eine gute Diversifikation und Absicherung. Evtl. wartest du auch auf die Konso, die aber schon lange ausbleibt..

http://www.stockmarketsreview.com/news/311981/

BYT-ON – World’s first graphene-based processor (graphene-based FPGAs to follow)

Clive Maxfield 
4/1/2012 1:03 PM EDT

Digital Core Design, the world-famous design laboratory in Bytom, Poland, has developed the world’s first processor made of graphene – the BYT-ON..

http://www.eetimes.com/electronics-blogs/other/...sed-FPGAs-to-follow