The coating is derived from graphite mined at the Albany deposit west of Hearst in Ontario, and lab testing has shown it is is 99% effective in rendering the COVID-19 virus inactive.
The company has signed a three-year lease on a building in Guelph, Ontario, which will become its manufacturing hub and corporate headquarters.
The new space, at 25,680 square feet, is undergoing engineering work and equipment is being purchased to produce Zen's virucidal coating at commercial scale.
Initial production of the material is expected before the end of the year. It will be used in filters and pre-filters for heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems as well as for PPE.
The lease on the Guelph facility has an extension option for an additional three years.
"Our team is moving at a very rapid pace to implement our business plan and secure a new manufacturing facility permitting Zen to bring its innovative product to market on a timely basis," Zen chief executive Francis Dube said.
Zen's Albany Pure graphite material converts (exfoliates) to graphene using a variety of mechanical, chemical and electrochemical method; the material has been successfully tested by independent laboratories in the US, Canada, Isreal, Japan and the UK.
"The unique genesis of the Albany deposit, resulting in very fine-grained graphite crystallites, yields an ideal graphite precursor material for conversion to high-value graphene, graphene oxide and graphene quantum dots," Dube said.
