Woodchips to biographite: This material to make EV batteries sustainable, reduce dependence on China

Your electric vehicles (EVs) could soon be powered by woodchips. A company in New Zealand is turning discarded woodchips into a more sustainable version of synthetic graphite also known as biographite. The alternative would also help break China’s dominance on a key ingredient in EV batteries. 

What is biographite?

CarbonScape, a New Zealand-based company, is collecting woodchips from across the world to turn into a form of synthetic graphite which, according to CEO Ivan Williams, is not only more planet-friendly but also as pure as synthetic graphite made from fossil fuels.

Notably, synthetic graphite, used in batteries to power EVs, is mostly produced in China. Therefore, CarbonScape can help provide an alternative to reduce the West’s reliance on Beijing for critical minerals that power the energy transition, amid the ongoing geopolitical tensions. 

Biographite, according to the company, is made by heating the byproducts from the forestry industry, aka the woodchips, using a process called thermo-catalytic graphitisation. This process produces charcoal which is then catalysed and purified into graphite which can be used to power EVs. 

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“The production of ‘traditional’ synthetic graphite uses fossil fuel-based feedstocks, such as coal tar pitch and petroleum coke, and fossil fuel-powered processes,” said Williams, as quoted by Euronews. 

He added, “Consequently, it emits 35 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions for each tonne of graphite it produces.” The mining of graphite can also adversely impact local communities, animals, and the environment. 

According to Williams, their process can remove the equivalent of 2.7 tonnes of carbon emissions for every tonne that is used to make biographite. The material is reportedly being manufactured in the European Union and the United States. 

The CarbonSpace CEO also noted that since biographite can be made close to battery factories it can further lessen carbon dioxide emissions by cutting the need to transport it. “Our mission is to decarbonize the battery industry,” Williams told the Wall Street Journal (WSJ). 

Less dependence on China

Several Western countries are considering sustainable alternatives to meet their climate goals, including increased investment in EVs. China sent shockwaves across the world in October after announcing that it would tighten export controls on graphite, citing security concerns. 

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China not only reportedly produces 60 per cent of the world’s natural graphite and nearly 70 per cent of synthetic graphite, but also mostly all the very pure graphite used in lithium-ion batteries, used to power EVs.

In 2023, CarbonScape secured $18 million in funding from Finnish-Swedish forestry firm Stora Enso and Hong Kong-based battery producer Amperex Technology, reported Euronews. 

The funds, the firm said, would be used to finance the construction of commercial biographite plants in Europe and the US.

(With inputs from agencies)