A product that may become a major option for enhancing pipeline strengths is graphene, which has been the focus of research in a number of industries.

“Graphene is a powder,” said Dr. Ranjith Divigalpitiya, chief science officer of HydroGraph Clean Power. “It is carbon in its purest form.”

He added that graphene, discovered about 20 years ago, could improve the strengths of coatings on pipelines in certain cases. Specifically, the impact of moisture and the soils could be lessened by the addition of graphene to epoxy coatings.

The company said the exclusive license it acquired from Kansas State University allows it to produce both graphene and hydrogen through a patented detonation process. The graphene produced by HydroGraph is manufactured in Manhattan, Kansas. Read more.