The project’s competitive advantage lies in its cost efficiency and sustainability. It is expected to be approximately 40% cheaper than existing market products, which are priced at around RM10/kg, making it highly competitive at scale. In addition, the product is a green natural polymer that is biodegradable and environmentally friendly, aligning with HSE requirements and supporting more sustainable drilling operations.

Conventional drilling fluids face limitations in thermal stability and rheological performance under high-temperature conditions, particularly in geothermal environments reaching 250–350°C. Existing formulations often rely on imported modified starch and other additives that may not maintain effectiveness at extreme temperatures, leading to reduced lubrication efficiency, higher filtration loss, and increased wear on drill bits. These challenges result in lower drilling efficiency, higher operational costs, and shorter equipment lifespan, while also creating dependency on imported materials.

The project develops Graphene–CMSS-based fluid loss additives for drilling fluids that enhance thermal stability and rheological performance up to 250°C. CMSS serves as a locally produced alternative to imported modified starch, while reduced graphene oxide (rGO) improves thermal conductivity and fluid stability under high-temperature conditions. This solution reduces filtration loss, improves lubrication efficiency, extends drill bit lifespan by up to 75%, and enables reliable drilling performance in geothermal environments of 250–350°C.

The innovation of the project is the development of Graphene–CMSS-based fluid loss additives that improve thermal stability and rheological performance up to 250°C. It replaces imported modified starch with locally sourced CMSS, enhanced with reduced graphene oxide (rGO) to improve thermal conductivity and fluid stability under high-temperature conditions. This innovation reduces filtration loss, improves lubrication efficiency, extends drill bit lifespan by up to 75%, and ensures reliable performance in geothermal environments of 250–350°C.