{"id":29109,"date":"2023-01-23T13:33:21","date_gmt":"2023-01-23T13:33:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.innovationnewsnetwork.com\/?p=29109"},"modified":"2024-01-19T15:32:52","modified_gmt":"2024-01-19T15:32:52","slug":"why-graphite-is-essential-to-the-electrification-of-north-america","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.innovationnewsnetwork.com\/why-graphite-is-essential-to-the-electrification-of-north-america\/29109\/","title":{"rendered":"Why graphite is essential to the electrification of North America"},"content":{"rendered":"
A global graphite shortage is a matter of when, not if, without new sources of supply. For the US, which is 100% dependent on foreign imports of the material, it is a ticking time bomb that could derail the nation\u2019s vehicle electrification and decarbonisation ambitions.<\/p>\n
This emphasises the importance of establishing a reliable, secure and sustainable \u2018mine to battery\u2019 electric vehicle (EV) supply chain, beginning with a domestic graphite source and integrating it with processing, manufacturing, and recycling to create a full and secure supply chain.<\/p>\n
Graphite is known for its metallic properties, including thermal and electrical conductivity, and non-metallic properties, including inertia, high thermal resistance, and lubricity. These properties are put to use in industrial applications such as high-temperature lubricants, brushes for electrical motors, and friction materials. Perhaps its most important application is the lithium-ion battery, where graphite ranks above even lithium as the key ingredient. There is actually 10-30 times more graphite than lithium in a lithium-ion battery.<\/p>\n
Any product with a battery containing a graphite anode \u2013 electric cars, hybrid cars, laptops, smartphones \u2013 contributes to graphite demand.\u00a0 High-technology applications for graphite, and thus the demand for the material, are likely to grow. According to the U.S. Geological Survey<\/a>, technological advances to improve graphite purity are opening up a range of uses in carbon-graphite composites, electronics, foils, friction materials, and special lubricants. Flexible graphite products, such as graphoil (a thin graphite sheet), will likely be the fastest-growing markets. Large-scale fuel-cell applications in development could consume as much of the metal as all other uses combined.<\/p>\n Graphite is also the source of graphene oxide \u2013 a much-hyped, manmade, two-dimensional material \u2013 consisting of a single layer of carbon atoms. Graphene is touted as an extraordinarily strong, thin, and electrically and thermally conductive \u2018super material\u2019 destined for applications that include but are not limited to electronics, heat transfer, bio-sensing, membrane technology, battery technology, and advanced composites. Although still in the early stages, graphene technologies are developing rapidly, and new applications are still emerging.<\/p>\n So where is all this graphite going to come from? Since synthetic graphite costs twice as much as natural graphite, natural will likely be the source for most applications. Currently, most of the world\u2019s graphite is mined in China. Much like rare earth metals, China has dominated the graphite market for economic and environmental reasons. But as China continues to close its mines due to pollution concerns and ore depletion, many North American junior mining companies are preparing to ramp up operations to fill the supply gap and take advantage of future opportunities.<\/p>\n Graphite is included on a list of 35 critical minerals<\/a> the U.S. Geological Survey has deemed critical to the national economy and national security.<\/p>\n A White House report on critical supply chains showed that graphite demand for clean energy applications will require 25 times more graphite by 2040 than was produced in 2020. However, the concentration of mined and synthetic graphite production in one producing country casts doubt on the ability of the mining industry to supply the needed battery raw material.<\/p>\n A White House official said recently: \u201cOver the last decades, China has cornered the supply chain for batteries from critical mineral mining and processing to cathode anode belt manufacturing for critical minerals. For the critical minerals lithium, cobalt, graphite, nickel and manganese that are crucial to advanced batteries, China controls nearly all global processing capacity.\u201d<\/p>\n This, however, is beginning to change, as funding from the US government is being offered to companies with the technology and know-how to build battery plants that can compete with Asian battery and electric vehicle manufacturers. The formation of a \u2018mine-to-battery\u2019 domestic supply chain is well underway.<\/p>\n Estimates are that battery demand could consume well over 1.6 million tonnes of flake graphite per year (in 2021, total usage of graphite equated to one million tonnes). Remember, the mining industry still needs to supply other graphite end users. Currently, the automotive and steel industries are the largest consumers of this metal, with demand across both rising at 5% per annum.<\/p>\n Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, the world\u2019s top critical mineral analyst, shows demand for natural graphite from the battery segment amounted to 400,000 tonnes in 2021, with that number expected to scale up to 3 megatonnes by 2030. Demand for synthetic graphite came to about 300,000 tonnes in 2021 and is expected to increase to 1.5 megatonnes by 2030.<\/p>\n Where are the EV makers going to find the graphite? According to Fastmarkets, a UK-based commodity price reporting agency, the current rate of EV production indicates demand for battery-grade graphite could rise by a jaw-dropping 36% in 2023.<\/p>\n By estimates, at least 125 million EVs are expected to be mobile by 2030. That is more than eight million tonnes of additional battery-ready graphite needed this decade; remember, the mining industry is currently only able to supply one million tonnes.<\/p>\n According to Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, the flake graphite feedstock required to satisfy the world\u2019s lithium-ion anode market is projected to reach 1.25 million tonnes per annum by 2025. At this rate, demand could easily outstrip supply in a few years.<\/p>\n Just to meet demand for battery anode materials by 2035, an estimated 97 natural flake mines will need to be built assuming each mine can produce 56,000 tonnes per annum. Currently, there are 70 mines globally with the majority of the mines located in China, India, and Africa.<\/p>\n Almost all lithium-ion battery manufacturing currently takes place in China because of the ready availability of graphite, weak environmental, social, and governance (ESG) standards, and low costs.<\/p>\n There are no graphite-producing mines in North America. The fact is, for the United States to develop a \u2018mine to battery\u2019 supply chain at home, it currently has no choice but to import its raw materials from foreign countries. For battery-grade graphite, that means China, which is growing increasingly adversarial, economically, politically, and militarily.<\/p>\n The United States is 100% import reliant<\/a> according to the US Geological Survey. In 2021<\/a>, the US imported 53,000 tons of natural graphite, of which 57% was high-purity flake, 42% was amorphous and 1% was lump and chip. 33% came from China, Mexico 21%, Canada 17%, India 9%, and other 20%.<\/p>\nMeeting rapid graphite demand<\/h3>\n
Battery growth<\/h3>\n
Requirements in the electric world<\/h3>\n