SBIR Phase I: Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Assisted Purification of Electrolytically Synthesized Graphite

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project is the commercialization of a novel electrolytic process to manufacture low-cost, high-power graphite for electric vehicle batteries. Electrolytically synthesized graphite offers the opportunity to utilize domestically available sources of renewable electricity and carbon dioxide and secure the supply chain for battery production with domestic production capacity. The impact on society that will be created by the commercialization of a novel graphite synthesis process is a significant decrease in graphite manufacturing cost and a more sustainable manufacturing process from domestically available sources of renewable electricity and carbon dioxide. The technical objectives in this Phase I research project are to 1) demonstrate effective purification of electrolytically synthesized graphite using supercritical carbon dioxide and 2) recover a high yield of extracted by-products. Currently the purification process mimics the high-temperature thermal purification step of the commercial graphite manufacturing process. However, this process is time consuming, energy intensive, and therefore costly. Supercritical fluids purification has the potential to significantly reduce the purification time, energy cost, and the environmental footprint of electrolytically manufactured graphite. The purification process will be optimized by controlling carbon dioxide pressure, temperature, flow rate, water addition, and extraction time.