Directa Plus PLC (LON:DCTA) has received the grant of the Italian patent for the process of removing hydrocarbons from water exploiting Grafysorber, the group’s super-expanded graphite product.
The AIM-listed group, which produces and supplies graphene nanoplatelets-based products for use in a number of consumer and industrial markets, said the process involves the use of Grafysorber G+ to remove hydrocarbons from industrial wastewater and process water, especially at low concentration, which is the most difficult and expensive step of the decontamination treatment.
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The company added that the process, which is applicable to the oil and gas segment as well as to the engineering industry, is extremely fast and efficient and it avoids the use of toxic, harsh and expensive chemicals.
Directa Plus said it now has exclusive technology across 12 patent families – each family is made up of patents in different jurisdictions covering an individual piece of intellectual property. In total, the company added, it has been granted 19 patents and has a further 22 patents pending,
The firm said it is targeting the filing of a further three new significant patents in the course of 2019, to extend and strengthen its portfolio of valuable intellectual property that can be commercialised to generate revenue.
Giulio Cesareo Direct Plus’s founder and CEO commented: “We protect our unique production processes in a very aggressive way and now we are working hard to protect different applications and products. The grant of the Grafysorber patent is another demonstration of our commitment to capturing value from a significant part of the value chain in our sectors – rather than being limited to simply providing materials.”
He added: “The timing of the grant is aligned with the Company’s current activity to work closely with partner companies to treat water at oil and gas projects in the European Union and Middle East.”