Abstract:

Natural and synthetic graphites are used as battery material in many applications. Natural graphite can form in the earth’s crust at about 750°C and 5,000 Bar pressure, but very slowly (requiring millions of years). As the natural carbonesous material (mostly plant fossils) which have been available to mother nature vary in physical and chemical properties, the mined natural graphites around the world have a wide range of characteristics. The natural impurities present at each mine site typically demand multiple beneficiation steps to yield a salable natural graphite concentrate (~80% to 90% purity) which then requires purification to achieve the battery material quality (~99.9% carbon content with minimum metallic impurities). In comparison, synthetic graphite can be produced from purer feedstock (typically petroleum based) but require a high temperature (~3,000°C) for the graphitization reactions to be completed within a reasonable time frame (days). Currently, the battery industry consumes a mix of natural and synthetic graphites, therefore, it is important to understand their respective production routes, competitive advantages and limitation.

Keywords: natural graphite, synthetic graphite, feedstock, beneficiation, purification, graphitization

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Sabrina Francey