New Zealand company CarbonScape converts discarded wood chips into synthetic graphite that can be used in electric vehicle batteries. The material is manufactured in the EU and the United States, reducing dependence on Chinese graphite supplies.
The company makes "biographite" by heating forestry byproducts using a process called thermocatalytic graphitization, which produces charcoal that can be catalyzed and purified into battery anode-quality graphite.
The startup says its graphite alternative is a more sustainable option that could help Europe reduce its reliance on Chinese lithium-ion batteries.
What is biographite and why is it important?
Currently, the key graphite used in making electric vehicle batteries comes from mined natural graphite or synthetic graphite extracted from petroleum products.
According to CEO Ivan Williams, CarbonScape’s biographite is kinder to the earth.
"The production of 'traditional' synthetic graphite uses fossil fuel-based feedstocks, such as coal tar pitch and petroleum coke, and fossil fuel-driven processes," the CEO said.
"Therefore, every ton of graphite produced emits 35 tons of CO2e."
Naturally mined graphite causes serious damage to communities, animals and the environment, and the extraction and production processes required to extract 1 ton of anode-grade graphite from this raw material leaves a carbon footprint of 15 tons.
Instead, biographite is made from forestry by-products such as wood chips.
“Utilizing these widely available sustainable raw materials allows our products to capture carbon that would otherwise be emitted as they decay,” Williams said.
This means that our technology can reduce the equivalent of 2.7 tons of carbon emissions for every ton of biographite produced and is a climate-friendly alternative to key materials in lithium-ion batteries.
The production of biographite can also be carried out close to battery factories, further reducing CO2 emissions by shortening transportation distances.
We can also locate production plants near battery and cell and electric vehicle manufacturers, further improving supply chain security while providing additional economic and environmental benefits.
Can biographite help Europe reduce its dependence on Chinese electric vehicle batteries?
CarbonScape hopes biographite will help Western countries reduce their reliance on Chinese lithium iron phosphate batteries, which are used in many electric vehicles.
According to Statista, China produced approximately 5.5 million electric vehicles in 2022, accounting for more than half of global electric vehicle production that year.
Critics say CarbonScape's system requires a large supply of wood chips and isn't as cost-effective as graphite.
However, Williams said, “By 2030, we could meet half of global grid-scale and electric vehicle battery demand with biographite using less than 5% of forestry by-products produced annually in Europe and North America.”
Last year (2023), CarbonScape received $18 million (€16.7 million) in funding from Finnish-Swedish forestry company Stora Enso and Hong Kong battery maker Amperex Technology Ltd (ATL).
The investment, which will pay for the construction of commercial biographite plants in Europe and the United States, comes at a significant time as demand for graphite is surging in the booming electric vehicle market.
According to forecasts by consulting firm Project Blue, the world will face a graphite supply shortage of 777,000 tons by 2030.
Source: euronews.green (2024.02.26) Cars powered by woodchips: Biographite makes EV batteries sustainable
