The federal government signed a deal with Ramaco Carbon LLC creating a collaboration to create "high-value products" from coal.
Ramaco has been working on technologies to develop new products from coal, such as carbon-fiber parts for vehicles and airplanes, with a vertically integrated company that mines the coal and participates in the manufacturing and research process. The National Energy Technology Laboratory met with a Ramaco executive June 7 to sign a broad cooperative research and development agreement that allows the two entities to work together to create projects that use coal as a feedstock.
"Ramaco Carbon is developing cutting-edge facilities that support research and manufacturing efforts to produce valuable advanced materials from coal," NETL acting Director Sean Plasynski was quoted in a news release from Ramaco. "We both benefit by pooling our resources to expand opportunities as we build a brighter future for America's most abundant natural resource."
Ramaco Chairman and CEO Randall Atkins said the "end-game" was to create jobs in the coal sector with new technologies. According to the release, Ramaco is interested in using coal to create carbon-based product precursors and resins, rare earth elements from coal and coal byproducts, feedstock production for carbon-based production and production of advanced carbon materials.
The two groups are also working with the Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
