Techno-Commercial feasibility study for a 5 MW graphitization plant in a circular economy context

ÉnergHY-Québec is active in both the battery sector through the production of high-purity synthetic graphite and the production of decarbonized hydrogen. In a circular economy approach, our reactor will enable the recycling and purification of graphite from end-of-life electrodes for reuse in battery anode production.

The market for high-purity synthetic graphite is projected to reach 1.5 million tons by 2030. With an average cost of $20,000 per ton, this market is estimated at $30 billion by 2030. Annual growth estimates range from 9.83% to 27%. Currently, nearly all synthetic graphite is sourced from Asia, particularly China, which has announced forthcoming restrictions on graphite exports.

There is currently no commercial-scale production facility for battery-grade synthetic graphite in North America. To address this issue, the U.S. government recently announced a subsidy policy for the purchase of electric vehicles whose supply chains originate exclusively from North American partners. The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) also allocates over $300 billion (USD) to decarbonize the U.S. economy.

Currently, the North American battery industry remains heavily reliant on the Chinese market. Québec-based Lithion is developing a hydrometallurgical process using strong acids to recover battery materials, including lithium, manganese, cobalt, and graphite. By contrast, our thermal process, which does not involve acids, offers a distinct, low-environmental-impact alternative. Moreover, unlike Lithion, we are not targeting the recovery of cathode-related materials.