Aurubis, a German company, and Talga Group from Australia, have teamed up to create a process to produce battery-grade recycled graphite. This partnership is especially exciting for Europe because it could lead to a local supply chain of battery materials, which is currently lacking in the region. This collaboration could help reduce that dependence of China while supporting European battery production.
The project is focused on recovering graphite from old lithium-ion batteries. Aurubis uses an advanced recycling process that extracts graphite with a purity greater than 90% carbon grade. This material is then refined by Talga with the goal of having the process fully developed by 2025.
This is a positive step forward for the environment. Producing synthetic graphite uses a lot of energy and produces a high amount of CO2. Recycling graphite at large scale could reduce the carbon footprint of battery production. The European Union has set ambitious targets to increase the use of recycled materials in batteries. By 2030, 25% of strategic raw materials used in battery production should come from recycled sources. Additionally, battery makers should recycle at least 70% of lithium-ion batteries.
However, while recycled graphite is seen as a positive opportunity both for businesses and the environment, there is still a long way to go before recycled graphite can meet a significant portion of global demand. The market for recycled graphite is expected to reach $110.2 million by 2031. Compared to the total graphite market, which is projected to be $43.66 billion by 2030, this is a small fraction. Thus, while recycling is a great opportunity for the market and the environment, it won’t be enough to fill the supply gap in the near future. Over time, as the usage of graphite increases, the amount of recycled graphite available will also grow.
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