Pioneering green graphene applications at the UAE Climate Tech 2023

Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre 25th May 2023

The Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre demonstrated impact of the commercialisation of graphene and 2D materials at the two-day event, organised by the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology (MoIAT) in partnership with ADNOC and MASDAR.

Chief Executive Officer for Graphene@Manchester, James Baker, and members of the Graphene Engineering and Innovation Centre (GEIC) attended the first UAE Climate Tech forum at the Abu Dhabi Energy Centre.

Held during the UAE’s Year of Sustainability and ahead of the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) in November 2023, UAE Climate Tech took place on the 10 and 11  May, with the aim to accelerate efforts to decarbonise at scale and deliver climate action, while enabling socio-economic growth.

The forum hosted over 1,000 global policymakers, CEOs, academics, technology leaders, pioneers and investors to drive momentum to reduce global emissions by at least 43% by 2030, in line with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report. The GEIC were pleased to support the first-of-its-kind forum, to demonstrate how graphene can provide a valuable contribution towards the worlds net zero targets and give companies a leading edge.

During the visit, the team and GEIC Tier 1 partner, Graphene Innovations Manchester (GIM), had the honour of showcasing pioneering solutions using graphene and other 2D materials to Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, as he toured the innovation exhibitions.

James Baker took part in the ‘How can Graphene be a Solution for Decarbonisation and Net Zero’ panel with Khalifa University and Levidian, as they discussed graphene’s potential for disrupting the industry, creating a more sustainable process and giving companies a leading edge.

James said: “We were fortunate to secure investment through our partnership with Masdar to build our second building in Manchester, the Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre (GEIC). Currently, the GEIC provides support to the companies that are attempting to commercialise applications of this revolutionary material, which will certainly speed up the commercialisation of graphene.”

He added: “For me, the real task we are trying to do is really accelerate the adoption of these new products and applications using 2D materials like graphene. Graphene has previously been perceived as being too expensive to manufacture at an industry scale which has discouraged companies from experimenting with it or considering it as a potential for their market. However, graphene is a family of materials and different materials are best suited for many and different purposes. There are lots of companies we now work with, some of which are university spinouts and start-up businesses, that work with different materials to produce new and exciting products and applications, from shoes to paints, carbon fibres to concrete, this can achieve “sustainability without compromise” i.e. doesn’t have to come under cost or premium – that’s a trend we want to continue.”