The reason I focused on the Macro Drivers was MRF was still laying down the foundations and the broader picture was like the Strategic Eggshell; now this new announcement has really cracked open the egg. Will it crack .14 ?
What do you think?
Why Sri Lanka?
1/ Sri Lanka is the only region in the world that produces vein (lump) graphite with a carbon content of more than 90%C in commercial quantities.
2/ Sri Lanka is one of the fastest growing economies in the world GDP growth: 8.2%
3/ The 25-year civil war ended in May 2009.
4/ The Sri Lankan government is keen on promoting foreign private sector investment, with graphite being the country's one of most important mineral products.
5/ Sri Lanka is underlain by Proterozoic high grade metamorphic rocks with Phanerozoic sediments being restricted to the coastal region.
6/ Sri Lanka currently produces a very small amount of graphite about 4,000 metric tons (MT) yearly, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).
7/ But Sri Lanka's graphite is a unique product. The country produces lump and chippy dust graphite and is the worlds only source of these particular materials.
8/ Lump and chippy dust graphite are the highest-value graphite products found globally, the USGS notes. In 2012, prices for Sri Lankan lump and chip graphite averaged $1,990 per MT, significantly higher than prices reported for other products, such as flake or amorphous graphite.
9/ The significant potential application of modern geophysical techniques. Electrical surveys are a simple and effective way to check large amounts of ground for graphitic targets. By looking at the under-explored ground around Sri Lanka's major mines, incoming explorers have a high probability of making significant finds.
Where wont it impact? This is the real question not where will it impact!
(The article is meddlesome and argues for top-down economics)
Energy, Space, Robotics, Nuclear, Water Filtration, Desalinization, Cars, Planes, Nanotech/Medicine and sciences not even considered by the mainstream!
Value addition is not as big a deal as the article portrays in my opinion. The rate of change of technology now is exponentially growing. Just by this alone Graphite is naturally going to be developed. No special Graphene Group needs to be formed to direct the market. The market will pick and choose for themselves in my opinion...
"Vein graphite from Sri Lanka is unique and has its own niche market where present policies of the government impede growth. It forms in veins, a few centimeters to several meters in width. The material is of very high purity, above 90 percent C and requires little purification. However, lack of consistent supply prevents it from penetrating high-growth markets such as Li-ion batteries. However, similar to an increase of exploration activities in the world, Sri Lanka has seen its own re-emergence of exploration in recent years." - Value addition to graphite in Sri Lanka - Graphene and green technology
"The Australian Government has a well known policy of engagement with the Sri Lankan Government and a constructive and diverse relationship with Sri Lanka. We continue to work closely with the Sri Lankan Government on a range of matters," she said.
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"He also blamed that it was India - Indra Gandhi , Rajiv Gandhi were the Indian leaders who were responsible for training and arming Tamil youths and for fighting Sri Lanka and it government. He alleged that India from the days of Indra Gandhi up to date is involved in subduing Sri Lanka directly and surreptitiously."
It's 200 times stronger than steel, thinner than a sheet of paper, and more conductive than copper.
And that's not all...
Researchers the world over are using it for critical advances in a variety of industries. Graphene makes:
Solar 50x-100x more efficient Semiconductors 50x-100x faster Aircraft 70% lighter
We're talking batteries that charge 10x faster and store 10x more power...
Phones and computer displays that bend and fold...
And even the potential to make people and things completely invisible.
Indeed, the Huffington Post notes graphene will change the world.
It's so vital to our future that it's been named a "supply critical mineral" and a "strategic mineral" by the United States and the European Union.
Yet only a few companies around the world have access to mineral resource that is required to make graphene. And 70% of supply is controlled by China.
So the setup is perfect for any non-Chinese supply to become an extremely lucrative investment, just like rare earths a few years ago." - Outsider Club, February 26th, 2014
Space is going to be the next theater of war and business. Humans building in space is inherently risky but the next generation of robots will build in space effortlessly.
1/ Space Tourism
2/ Space Mining
3/ Space Habitation
4/ Space Industries
5/ Space Agriculture
6/ Space Transportation
7/ Lunar/Mars = Habitation/Terraforming
8/ Space Militarization