Why Wood Chips Could be the Secret Ingredient for Making EV Batteries More Sustainable - CarbonScape CEO

Graphite is a critical material for lithium-ion batteries. However, its production is also one of the largest CO2 emitters in the battery raw materials supply chain. The key to a more sutainable supply could very well be wood chips.  

New Zealand's CarbonScape was established with a vision to replace fossil carbons with renewable carbon products. In 2015 it engineered its first biographite.

"Biographite is a high performing, cost competitive, and climate positive alternative to natural (mined) and ‘traditional’ synthetic graphite that outperforms these incumbent technologies and reduces the carbon footprint of each battery by 30%," Ivan Williams, CarbonScape's CEO, tells Auto Futures.

Natural graphite depends upon mining, which can exact a heavy toll on the environment. 

"We produce biographite using widely available, sustainable feedstock, which reduces dependence on finite resources and problematic practices – the production of ‘traditional’ synthetic graphite relies on dwindling stocks of fossil fuel-based feedstocks and highly polluting manufacturing processes."

Williams goes on to explain the manufactrueing process, which is known as  thermo-catalytic graphitisation.

"In brief, we pyrolise wood chips into charcoal, add a catalyst, and then catalytically graphitise it. We fully recover and recycle the catalyst afterwards. Our team then purifies, densifies, and coats this 'raw' graphite to make battery anode-quality graphite."

"Our patented process produces a ‘drop-in’ replacement for costly traditional synthetic graphite, which is favoured by cell manufacturers and OEMs over mined graphite, due to its better performance characteristics," he adds.

A Climate Positive Graphite Supply Chain

Using less than five per cent of the forestry industry by-product generated annually in Europe and North America, CarbonScape’s process could produce enough biographite to meet half the total global projected graphite demand for EV and grid-scale batteries by 2030. 

Crucially, production can be localised to EV and battery manufacturing hubs,

"Biographite is produced from forestry by-products, such as wood chips, meaning production can be localised to wherever a local forestry industry exists and rapidly scaled to meet demand. As we use a widely available feedstock, we can also site production plants nearby battery and cell manufacturers, further enhancing supply chain security while driving additional economic efficiencies and environmental benefits," explains Williams.

The company recently announced it had raised $18 million in investment.  

It is in the process of commercialising biographite production in Europe and the US with the investment and support of its strategic partners Stora Enso, one of the world’s largest forestry companies, and leading lithium-ion battery manufacturer ATL.

Stora Enso aims to secure Europe’s battery supply chain with fossil-free battery materials.

"CarbonScape’s biographite fits into their consolidation of assets delivering local, sustainable alternatives that can meet rapidly growing demand. As a key strategic upstream partner committed to the circular economy, Stora Enso also brings considerable industrialisation experience as CarbonScape commercialise on the ground in Europe – supporting our vision of building a climate positive European biographite supply chain, of enabling a sustainable electrified future," he says.

The Scramble For Critical Minerals

CarbonScape's technology aids the EV industry by onshoring and localising production of graphite, strengthening and shortening supply chains that are particularly vulnerable to geopolitical tensions and the dominance of China.

"The electrification of transport cannot happen without critical minerals like graphite and supply chains are already being treated as a matter of international security at key international events," warns Williams.

"As long as China continues to dominate critical mineral supply chains, it retains the power to slow electrification and net zero efforts in the EU and US. The Western automotive industry is being placed under undue stress due to reduced access to critical minerals like graphite and a scramble to secure supply has begun. It is imperative that we develop critical mineral independence. Onshoring production represents the best possible option in terms of supply chain security, while also stimulating economic growth and creating local jobs."

Finally, we asked Williams for his predictions for graphite production and supplies in the future.

"The EU and US have realised the untenable nature of current supply chain dynamics and the importance of securing local control of the electrification economy."

"Mitigating these risks and securing critical mineral sovereignty is one of the main drivers behind the EU and US’s 'minerals security partnership forum', a new initiative that aims to align outreach efforts to buyers in developed countries and resource-rich nations. As such, we expect to see increasing numbers of graphite producers emerge to fill the supply-side gap that China has created in the short- to medium-term. Importantly, given the economic and climate factors at play, biomaterials will play an ever-greater role in addressing this market challenge," he adds.

"By 2030, there is a predicted graphite shortfall of 777,000T annually, meaning that now, more than ever, we need new technologies and players who have the ability to rapidly scale to meet market demand," concludes Williams.