Researchers in South Korea have unveiled a groundbreaking way to recycle industrial graphite waste into high-performance battery anodes, per Tech Xplore.
Essentially, scientists have discovered a new way to turn leftover physical carbon from factories into parts for batteries. This is a major step toward cleaner and cheaper energy storage while reducing dependence on imported raw materials.
Graphite is the essential ingredient for lithium-ion battery anodes, making up about 30% of a cell's weight and 10% of its production cost.
Korea relies on China for over 90% of its supply. With this current setup, the market is left vulnerable to price spikes and trade disruptions, especially after the U.S. imposed steep tariffs on Chinese graphite last year.
A team led by Dr. Yu-Jin Han and Dr. Sang-Hoon Park at the Korea Institute of Energy Research (KIER) developed a method to transform industrial graphite byproducts into high-value anodes without the harsh acids that the current process requires.
The team's process uses ultrasonic waves to lift off surface impurities, and gentle heat draws hidden metals to the surface for easy removal. Then, a thin carbon coating reinforces the graphite's structure and improves its performance.
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So, what makes this innovation special? Well, it slashes production costs by about 60% compared to conventional methods. It does that while avoiding the pollution from traditional acid baths and energy-intensive heat treatments at about 2,800 °C. All this adds up to an initial coulombic efficiency of 92%, a discharge capacity of 362 milliampere-hours per gram, and 98% capacity retention after 200 charges.
In layman's terms, this means the new battery material stores a lot of energy, wastes little on the first charge, and still works almost like new after hundreds of uses.
By using graphite, which would otherwise be wasted, this technology curbs the environmental damage of mining and heavy-metal processing.
"Our work shows that graphite, once left out of localization efforts, is now emerging as a national critical mineral," Dr. Han said to Tech Xplore. "This technology strengthens supply stability and builds a foundation for self-sufficiency."
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