Named by a mineralogist in 1789 from the Greek word graphein, “write”, graphite has played a significant role in the evolution of humanity from pencils to industrial lubricants, and now for conductors in batteries. There are two forms of graphite: naturally occurring flake graphite and synthetic graphite. Flake graphite has been used in industrial applications for crucible and refractory wares, lubricating compounds, and brushes. Today, flake graphite is an instrumental component in the construction and effectiveness of lithium-ion batteries, used to power EVs. This is due to its unique properties, notably its resistance to high temperature, oxidation and corrosion, its inertness and its high thermal and electrical conductivity. Today’s EV lithium-ion batteries contain approximately two times more flake graphite than lithium and cobalt.
Recent graphite production has been dominated by China, Russia, India and Brazil. The United States Geological Survey reports that global mine production of graphite in 2021 was approximately 1.0 million tons with China, contributing roughly 80% of the global production. In contrast, countries like Canada and the United States that are leading the transition from fossil fuel vehicles to EVs contribute very little graphite to the global supply, even though graphite occurrences are known to occur in these countries.
There is no current substitute for flake graphite in the lithium-ion battery market and demand will only increase. Industry experts are estimating that an additional 4−5 million tons of flake graphite will be needed to meet the energy storage demands of the accelerating EV market and S&P Analytics is forecasting EV sales to rise by more than 400% by 2030. More countries should encourage exploration and development to meet this demand internally, rather than rely on imports that require material to be moved over large distances and which may not be reliable as demand grows.
