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EcoGraf HFfree™ Battery Anode Material

The Company’s is developing a HFfree Battery Anode Material Facility that will be the first of its kind outside of China, providing a new supply of sustainably produced, high quality purified spherical graphite for the high growth lithium-ion battery market.

EcoGraf™ has received multiple approaches from North American and European electric vehicle manufacturers for the supply of battery anode material products, which have focussed on the ability of the Company to scale-up production rates to meet demand requirements in those regions.

The increased interest in new, sustainable supply chains is shaped by geopolitical events and recent initiatives led by the United States, the Mineral Security Partnership to secure critical raw materials for the clean energy transition, through responsible resource development and the Inflation Reduction Act, that incentivises mass market adoption of electric vehicles.


Global expansion driven by EV demand and new legislation

Increased requirement for new supply of battery anode material following US Mineral Security Partnership (June 2022) and Inflation Reduction Act (August 2022)

  • Qualification facility fully funded and collaboration with ongoing product samples with major Government research facility
  • Engineering design to support development of multiple production facilities in key global battery centres
  • Partnership approach for European, North American and Asia locations
  • Australian Government support for development through Major Project status, Project of State Significance status and conditional approval for US$40m debt financing

 

Downstream battery anode materials

EcoGraf’s vision is to be a world leader in the supply of high performance, sustainably produced HFfree battery anode material for electric vehicles.

Key activities

  • Develop product qualification facility
  • Formalise strategic partnerships for global expansion
  • Identify development site locations in North America and Europe
  • Advance development of coatings partnership for European,  North American and Asian markets

Anode manufacturing to be co-located regional hubs in high growth battery markets

  • EV customers seeking to regionalise supply chains
  • Battery anode plant design scalable > 25ktpa and replicated
  • Strong government support and incentives for developments in global regions
  • Proximity to customers reduces logistics costs
  • New global capacity diminishes reliance on Chinese anode supply

EcoGraf™ Products

Supporting the Company’s zero-waste operating strategy for its new EcoGraf™ Battery Anode Material (BAM) facility is the Company’s product development programs to access higher-value customer markets and maximise the economic and sustainability advantages of the unique EcoGraf™ purification process.

An extensive international product development program is being undertaken for the by-product fines that’s generated from the manufacture of EcoGraf HFfree™ high density battery anode material (hdBAM) and ultra-fine high performance superBAM products. Product development for the by-product fines is focussed on recarburisers, conductivity enhancers and high purity fines.

The new state-of-the-art processing facilities will manufacture HFfree BAM for the global lithium-ion battery markets

Key environmental aspects

  • Development of EcoGraf HFfree™ processing technology to eliminate the use of hydrofluoric acid in the manufacture of battery anode material and a new state-of-the- art facility engineered to achieve leading international operating standards
  • Use of Life Cycle Assessment analysis to support global CO2 reduction initiatives
  • Selection of the site location in an existing industrial precinct that has no impact on visual or noise amenity
  • Implementation of a zero-waste operating strategy focussed on an active product development program to value-add all byproduct material produced at the new facility and to provide product additives for use in green steel production
  • Recycling of of process water used in the operation, and
  • Potential for sustainable power to be supplied from nearby waste-to-energy facilities and for supplemental power requirements to be sourced via solar panels.