The Elements of Innovation Discovered
The Elements of Innovation Discovered
Metal Tech News - December 13, 2023
Graphite One has delivered high energy capacity, fast charging, and long life synthetic graphite anode samples to automakers and lithium-ion battery manufacturers for testing.
As part of its strategy to quickly establish a domestic mine-to-battery graphite anode material supply chain, Graphite One Inc. has delivered samples of synthetic graphite lithium battery anode material to battery manufacturers and automakers in the United States.
"With the U.S. currently not producing any natural and synthetic anode materials, Graphite One has formulated a fast-track path-to-production strategy jump-starting our battery anode material production," said Graphite One President and CEO Anthony Huston.
While metals like lithium, cobalt, and nickel have garnered most of the attention in the race to secure the raw materials needed to replace the roughly 1.4 billion internal combustion vehicles on global highways with zero-emission models, graphite is the single largest ingredient in the lithium batteries powering electric vehicles.
This is why the U.S. Department of Energy anticipates that the transition to e-mobility will require up to eight times more graphite than was mined globally during 2022.
Currently, there are no graphite mines in the U.S., leaving the nation heavily dependent on imports from China, which produces more than 60% of the world's mined graphite and nearly 90% of the advanced anode material for lithium batteries.
In October, China announced plans to restrict the exports of nine types of synthetic and natural graphite products. This state-controlled limitation on graphite exports, which went into effect on Dec. 1, could hamper lithium battery production outside of China.
These export restrictions also increase the urgency for Graphite One to establish its envisioned domestic supply chain that begins at the Graphite Creek project in western Alaska, which hosts the largest known graphite deposit on American soil, and a graphite anode material processing and recycling plant in Washington.
To get this supply chain producing anode materials as quickly as possible, Graphite One has decided to establish the processing plant first and then the mine. This strategy will allow the company to begin commercial production of synthetic graphite anode material until it completes the engineering, permitting, and construction of a mine at Graphite Creek.
"In contrast to the typical resource development track, our strategic plan is to make Graphite One a synthetic anode material producer while Graphite Creek moves through permitting and into production," said Huston. "Ultimately, Graphite Creek's natural graphite would supply our anode material facility alongside our synthetic production, to deliver a full range of natural and synthetic anode materials to EV customers, 100% manufactured in the United States."
In preparation for establishing the graphite processing plant, Graphite One sent samples of three types of synthetic graphite to EV and lithium battery manufacturers for analysis. These active anode samples were designed to meet various lithium-ion battery performance requirements – high energy capacity, fast charging, and long life.
The samples were prepared by Sunrise New Energy Material Co. Ltd., an experienced graphite anode materials producer whose founder and CEO helped to pioneer the graphite anode industry in China about 25 years ago.
Earlier this year, Sunrise upgraded samples collected from Graphite to natural graphite anode materials for the U.S. Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and a leading EV manufacturer to evaluate.
Graphite One and Sunrise are negotiating an Inflation Reduction Act-compliant technical license agreement to share expertise and technology for the design, construction, and operation of Graphite One's proposed U.S.-based graphite material manufacturing facility in the Pacific Northwest.
Graphite One expects to begin producing synthetic graphite anode material at this future processing plant in about two years and begin upgrading concentrates from Graphite Creek to natural graphite anode materials around 2029.
"Subject to financing and permitting requirements, we're planning an early-stage commercial facility to produce a finishing and coating line for synthetic graphite by late 2025, with phase-one production of 25,000 tonnes (metric tons) of synthetic anode material by mid-2026 and rapid production growth from then on as market demand requires," said Huston. "Management currently anticipates construction and commissioning costs estimated at US$350 million subject to any unforeseen delays or varied market conditions. This is planned to be a direct path to revenue, even as we continue to develop our Graphite Creek natural graphite deposit."
In July, the U.S. Department of Defense awarded Graphite One Inc. $37.5 million to accelerate the completion of a feasibility study that will detail the engineering and economic parameters for a mine at Graphite Creek, a study needed for investment decisions and permitting.
With more than 16 years of covering mining, Shane is renowned for his insights and and in-depth analysis of mining, mineral exploration and technology metals.
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