Battery Grade Graphite Production from Biomass

Statement of the problem or situation that is being addressed Several challenges with graphite production currently exist. These include the shortage of domestic graphite due to market demand outpacing production, heavy reliance on foreign sources for domestic graphite needs, limited natural-graphite reserves, environmentally damaging mining processes, the high emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) when producing graphite from petroleum-based feedstocks, and the overall energy needs of current graphite-production technologies. These challenges also lead to a high graphite production cost. While utilizing biomass as a feedstock for graphite production can alleviate many of these challenges and also support the US net-zero goals, this feedstock presents additional challenges that have yet to be overcome. How this problem is being addressed / Overall approach of the project The goal of the proposed project is to show feasibility of the Renewable Graphite Production (RGP) technology that produces graphite as a coproduct from the Altex patented feed-flexible biomass-to-biofuel system. The proposed effort is aimed at utilizing the renewable Benzene-Toluene-Xylene (BTX) co-product from this biofuels-production technology as a precursor to the production of battery-grade graphite. Usage of the BTX eliminates hydrodeoxygenation unlike other biomass pathways to graphite. The BTX feed is clean and readily available from the proposed process, resulting in a low-cost high-quality graphite. This novel development includes thermal conversion of biomass followed by carbonization and graphitization of the intermediate, BTX to battery grade graphite. What is to be done in Phase I During Phase I, the Proposer will design the renewable graphite production process for a 120-tonne per day graphite production; perform bench-scale tests to produce graphite from biomass; characterize the final graphite product for composition, purity, and structure; and perform a Technoeconomic and Life Cycle Analysis for the feasibility study. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits By using the Proposerĺs low-cost renewable graphite production, the process serves the United Statesĺ $26.8 Billion graphite market. Additionally, as co-products from the process are $250 Billion aviation-fuel market and $231 Million biochar market. Through commercialization of the proposed technology, cost of graphite and other co-products are significantly reduced.