As global graphite demand doubles by 2040 driven by electrification, startups like RapidGraphite are developing low-carbon, biomass-based synthetic graphite to reduce dependence on China’s polluting dominance of the battery anode market and enable a sustainable clean energy transition.
Graphite continues to be a vital, though often underappreciated, mineral in the rapidly changing world of lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries, especially as the push for electrification grows across transportation and energy sectors worldwide. While lithium often grabs most of the headlines, graphite actually makes up roughly 25% to 50% of a typical Li-ion battery’s weight, particularly within electric vehicle (EV) batteries where around 70 kilograms can be composed of graphite. Its importance goes well beyond just energy storage, as it plays a key role in ensuring battery safety by stabilizing chemical reactions and preventing dangerous failures—something Curtin University materials scientist Dr. Jason Fogg, who also co-founded the Perth-based startup RapidGraphite, highlights.
The International Energy Agency projects that global graphite demand could double by 2040, mainly driven by energy tech that will account for nearly half of this increase. However, the current worldwide supply still heavily depends on traditional mining and intensive purification methods, which are not only environmentally harmful and slow but also mostly centered in China. Yeah, China dominates over 90% of the global graphite market, controlling about 97% of the anode production needed for EV batteries. This kind of geopolitical concentration is definitely raising alarms, leading countries like the US and Australia to intensify efforts to develop cleaner, more resilient supply chains for graphite.
Traditional natural graphite mining produces ore with pretty low purity levels—sometimes just a few tens of percent—so they require purification with hydrofluoric acid, which, I mean, is pretty risky stuff — dangerous for health and bad for the environment. On the other hand, synthetic graphite production involves heating carbon materials to roughly 3,000°C. This process, while effective, is energy-hungry and generates about 15–25 kilograms of CO₂ per kilogram of graphite. That’s a lot, and because it needs a steady supply of power—preferably non-intermittent—they often find it hard to incorporate renewable energy sources reliably, which further pushes the carbon footprint of the whole battery supply chain higher.
This is where RapidGraphite, the company founded by Dr. Fogg, wants to make a difference. They’re working on turning biomass waste—like wood chips and leaf litter—into high-quality synthetic graphite using a new catalytic process. The really clever part? This method cuts down on energy use, speeds up production times, and can convert material flaws within biomass carbon into battery-grade graphite without using the harsh chemicals traditional methods rely on. Backed by Curtin University’s AUD 18.6 million Venture Studio program and the Resources Technology and Critical Minerals Trailblazer initiative, the company is moving beyond lab experiments into pre-pilot scales, with plans to go commercial pretty soon. They also aim to use Australia’s sunny climate to power low-carbon manufacturing, making the process more sustainable.
Across the globe, other efforts to diversify graphite sources are gaining momentum. Take Malaysia, for example—Graphjet Technology has launched a green facility that makes synthetic graphite from palm kernel shells, aiming to challenge China’s near-complete control of the market and to ramp capacity up to 100,000 tonnes annually within five years. Similarly, in North America, General Motors has teamed up with Norway’s Vianode to create a multi-billion-dollar plant that will produce about 80,000 tonnes of synthetic graphite a year by 2030, supporting GM’s Ultium Cells battery projects.
The US has also introduced some tough trade policies—like a 25% tariff on imported natural and synthetic graphite anodes from China—to encourage domestic production and reduce reliance on Chinese supply chains. Still, industry insiders warn that by 2030, only around 40% of US demand for anodes may be met through these homegrown or allies’ sources, due to ongoing issues surrounding financing, environmental permits, and the specialized know-how needed to upscale local production—problems that highlight just how entrenched China’s dominance remains.
But beyond just supply concerns, the technical challenges related to graphite anodes are significant too. They’re still the standard in the industry because they offer high energy density, are relatively cheap, and the manufacturing processes are tried and true. But there are limits—capacity constraints, issues with thermal stability, mechanical wear over repeated charge cycles, and the environmental impacts of their production all pose hurdles. Newer technologies, like silicon-anodes, offer promising performance boosts, but they also require a complete overhaul of manufacturing facilities, which isn’t trivial.
Adding fuel to the fire, China has recently tightened restrictions on graphite production, citing pollution concerns, which could lead to higher battery costs worldwide and make it tougher to hit the much-cited target of a $100 per kilowatt-hour battery. While sources from Africa are gradually increasing output, China’s dominant market position isn’t expected to shift much in the short term.
All of this places companies like RapidGraphite—focused on developing cleaner, more scalable synthetic graphite—right at the heart of an important technological shift. They’re practically embodying the industry’s need to not only boost supply in line with rising EV and renewable energy adoption but also to do so more ethically and sustainably. As Dr. Fogg stresses, meeting the future demand for battery graphite isn’t just a business opportunity—it’s a critical, ethical, and economic step toward truly enabling the clean energy transition.
Source: Noah Wire Services
