GRAND FORKS, N.D. – Senator John Hoeven today announced that Vorbeck Materials has finalized a $6.6 million contract with the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) to support the company’s development and adoption of PFAS-free firefighting foam technology, including developing flame-retardant that can be mixed with salt water, which will have a huge benefit for the Navy in fighting ship-based fires, but also in extreme cold environments as salt water lowers the freezing point. Hoeven secured the funding for the contract through his role on the Senate Defense Appropriations Committee, supporting the growth of the company’s operations in North Dakota.
The senator recently marked the grand opening of Vorbeck’s 47,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility in Grand Forks, which serves as the company’s hub to produce advanced fire suppressants using graphene-based materials and will initially produce 1 million gallons of firefighting foam. This comes as part of the company’s broader mission to develop advanced materials for extreme environments, focusing on defense, aerospace and industrial applications. To this end, Vorbeck is also working to develop lightweight and flexible graphene-based antennas, which would have applications in special operations, military ground vehicles, unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and space.
“We worked to fund this $6.6 million contract, which secures the future of Vorbeck’s operations in North Dakota and contributes to the growth of our high-tech ecosystem,” said Senator Hoeven. “The company’s graphene-based technologies have a wide range of applications. In addition to meeting the demand for PFAS-free firefighting foam, Vorbeck’s work will have huge benefit to the Navy, because mixing their fire-retardant product with sea water will enable them to address ship-based fires, and it will also have real benefit with extreme cold weather.”
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