THUNDER BAY — A company headquartered in Thunder Bay has signed a letter of intent (LOI) to supply material for a new anti-virus coating for N95 respirator masks.
ZEN Graphene Solutions says the LOI calls for Trebor Rx, based in Collingwood, to buy enough of its patent-pending graphene-based virucidal coating for application on a minimum of 100 million masks/filters.
The initial minimum order is for the first year and is subject to Health Canada approvals.
Trebor says its new mask is reusable and recyclable.
It also plans to offer a 3-ply surgical mask with ZEN's virucidal protection.
The graphene is sourced from the Thunder Bay firm's Albany graphite deposit near Constance Lake First Nation.
ZEN's chief strategy officer, Greg Fenton, called the signing of the letter of intent a watershed moment for the company.
"It is an honour for ZEN to partner with a Canadian company like Trebor and develop a 100 per cent Canadian solution in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic," Fenton said.
He said Trebor's new mask, combined with the coating, will bring a new level of safety for frontline workers.
The graphene-based ink has been tested in a lab at Western University.
According to a statement from Trebor Rx, the test reported 99 per cent inactivation of virus that lasted for 35 days after the coating was applied to masks.
Trebor CEO George Irwin said "This is truly a game-changer in the personal protective equipment space...Trebor's goal is to deliver a quality Canadian-made product, and it just got better with ZEN as our partner."
Last March, ZEN opened a facility in Guelph for small-scale production as well as research and development work on graphene products.
