Overview

Becoming a major supplier of eco-friendly graphite to rapid growing battery and electric vehicle sector

2019 has seen unprecedented global investment in lithium-ion battery manufacturing capacity to support the paradigm shift in transport technology to electric vehicles and battery storage for the renewable energy sector.

We are all familiar with the narrative on electric vehicles, battery storage and the growth in demand for battery minerals. This is the very understandable rationale for strong market focus on battery minerals in recent years.


We hear a lot about cathode minerals, lithium, cobalt, nickel and manganese which together make up the composition of the cathode in a lithium-ion battery. We hear less about the anode which is 100% graphite and represents almost half of the total minerals in a lithium-ion battery.

Not just any graphite, but a plus 99.95% pure spherical graphite product that is refined to meet stringent chemical and physical specifications capable of withstanding the intense operating conditions of a battery in an electric vehicle.

Along with electric vehicles and growth in battery manufacturing, demand for this specialised spherical graphite product is growing exponentially.  Coupled with this there is increasing growth in demand for natural flake graphite, which is the feedstock.

EcoGraf Limited (ASX: EGR) is focused on becoming a long-term partner in supplying  eco-friendly natural flake and battery (spherical) graphite products to customers in both established (refractory, recarburiser, lubricant) and emerging (lithium-ion battery) global markets.

Once established, EcoGraf will operate a diversified graphite portfolio, supplying high quality Tanzanian natural flake graphite products through TanzGraphite to established markets in Asia and Europe, together with EcoGraf, a multi-hub development commencing in Kwinana, Western Australia that will provide a global new supply of environmentally responsible battery graphite for lithium-ion batteries.

A long-term partner in supplying eco-friendly natural flake and battery graphite products to customers in both established and emerging global markets.

Global demand

To cater to this new demand for quality graphite EcoGraf has developed an integrated graphite business. To produce spherical graphite in Western Australia for export directly to major anode manufacturers while at the same time developing an upstream mining business to produce natural flake graphite as feedstock and for other traditional industrial markets.

Currently all global supply of spherical battery graphite is produced in China with a very toxic purification process using hydrofluoric acid.

There is strong demand by anode manufacturers outside China for an alternative non-Chinese supply that is environmentally friendly. This is the market demand that EcoGraf is catering to.

EcoGraf: eco-friendly purification process

We have spent 3 years and many millions of dollars in perfecting a new eco-friendly purification process. In research & development, in process design, feasibility studies, piloting, product testing and endorsement by anode manufacturers, and more recently on engineering and design for a processing facility in Western Australia to export spherical graphite to customers in Asia, Europe and America.

The purification process and the spherical graphite product is trademarked EcoGraf with patent pending.

This project is now development ready. The Western Australian Government is providing strong support and has allocated EcoGraf land in Kwinana near Perth. Financing discussions are well underway for debt and equity with both Government and industry groups. This funding is underpinned by offtake support from major industrial groups in the sector.

The opportunity to manufacture spherical graphite for the growing battery market is now a reality.

The Epanko mining project TanzGraphite in Tanzania is also ready for development and independent of the EcoGraf manufacturing business. Bank funding processes are now advancing well as the Tanzanian mining regulations are being implemented and the investment climate improves.