By Jeff Lester

October 13, 2018 - The chief executive of a Kingsport, TN-based firm that produces alternative carbon products has confirmed the company will establish a coal research facility in Wise County, Virginia in the near future.

Steve Hooper, president and CEO of The EnviraCarbon Cos., confirmed in a Thursday email that the group will locate a facility next year in the Lonesome Pine Business and Technology Park near Wise. A formal opening is planned for late spring 2019.

Research will focus on the prospects of converting coal to graphene for industrial use.

EnviraCarbon expects to start with 10 employees and expand research and development efforts in subsequent months, Hooper noted.

The company is negotiating “multiple agreements” with Virginia Tech and other entities, he wrote. “Therefore, it is premature to discuss those active negotiations.”

The GO Virginia Region One Council announced in an Oct. 9 press release that it is recommending a $25,000 grant to Virginia Tech for a coal-to-graphene market study. The recommendation will go to a final vote by the statewide GO Virginia board in December.

The release notes that Virginia Tech is working with EnviraCarbon “on scaling up this production process for industrial use.”

Graphene is being examined for a variety of manufacturing uses. The substance is as thin as a single atom, extremely lightweight, flexible, nearly transparent and 200 times stronger than steel. It has been described as a one-atom-thick sheet of graphite, the material used to make pencil lead.

According to Region One meeting documents, Virginia Tech’s Institute of Critical Technology and Applied Science “has developed and completed an initial invention disclosure on a method for manufacturing graphene from coal.”

The study will determine potential locations for research, development and production facilities. Also, it will analyze the current and future markets for graphene; current graphene producers and predictions of their future moves in the market; the potential for Region One to “garner a significant portion of the graphene market;” and the regional environmental benefits and impacts of using coal to make graphene.

The total project budget would be $50,000 if the grant is approved.

GO Virginia is an initiative by business leaders “to foster private-sector growth and job creation through state incentives for regional collaboration by business, education, and government,” according to its website. Region One stretches from Lee County to Grayson and Wythe counties and Galax.

The EnviraCarbon Cos. specialize in producing alternative carbon-based products aimed at reducing effects of carbon that harm the environment, according to the corporate website. Hooper gained extensive experience in the coal industry prior to founding the group.

Learn more at www.enviracompanies.com.