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cosors

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A little light on a dark area - emissions and SG/NG from China. I have this from Twitter/MT/dinosaurman1. I have often been annoyed by outdated sources, especially because of SGL and SG and the analysis by "Ökotest", which is the only one (in Germany) I know and also is, in my opinion, an insufficient analysis even if, in my opinion, it was written mainly to lobby for SG and SGL Carbon. I have been upset about this f* study more than once. Finally two new studies agrees with me :)

"The Surprising Climate Cost of the Humblest Battery Material​

Graphite is made in blazing-hot furnaces powered by dirty energy. Until recently, there has been no good tally of the carbon emissions.

AN ODE, FOR a moment, to the anode, for it is so frequently overlooked. When a battery is powered up, lithium ions rush toward this positively-charged end and ensconce themselves there until the energy is needed. Originally, anodes were made from lithium metal. But lithium metal is unstable, and liable to explode in contact with air or water, so scientists tried out carbon instead. Over the years, they refined it into a material composed of hexagonal atomic rings—a lattice that could hold an abundance of ions, without the explodey-ness. That material is graphite, the same stuff found in the tip of a No. 2 pencil. It is often said that the cathode—that’s the other end of the battery—is where the magic happens. It’s home to an arrangement of metals like cobalt, nickel, and manganese. But each of those metals is negotiable, depending on the specific battery design. Humble graphite isn’t. It helps define how much energy a battery can hold, and how fast it charges up.
And if the anode itself is overlooked, so is its carbon footprint. As with other battery materials, automakers rely on estimates to determine the environmental cost of graphite’s globe-spanning journey before it ends up inside a car. But a pair of recent studies suggest that those estimates are woefully out-of-date and undercounted, failing to include the energy-intensive processes required to produce modern, anode-ready graphite. Those bad estimates are undermining efforts to clean up the supply chain for electric vehicles. “The same thing kept coming up again and again,” says Robert Pell, CEO of Minviro, a consultancy that works with electric car companies on environmental assessments. “Everybody cares about the cathode, but the reality is we knew the impact of the anode was significantly underestimated.”
Electric vehicles are, by and large, greener than their gas-combusting counterparts. Plugging them in creates emissions because it taps into a dirty electricity grid, but on the whole, the grid is getting greener, and going electric is already a lot better than exploding gallon after gallon of gasoline. It’s the raw materials for the battery that are harder to decarbonize. The cathode indeed has the biggest environmental consequences—including both carbon emissions and the ecological and human rights harms of mining minerals like lithium, nickel, and cobalt. In some cases, car companies have tried to kick their dependence on cobalt and nickel by swapping them out for other metals.

But graphite shouldn’t get a pass, says Pell, an author of one of the two studies. The results illuminate the problems with how corporations measure their carbon emissions, especially the critical component of “Scope 3.” That’s usually the biggest chunk, including all the energy a company doesn’t consume directly. For an automaker, that includes the carbon emitted by the vast supply chains that produce components, including batteries, and the carbon involved in getting energy into the charging cable. But it’s tricky to take stock of. Go back deep enough into the supply chain, all the way back to the processing of raw materials, and the specifics get fuzzy, the true energy demands opaque.
This is particularly true for graphite. The second study, published earlier this year by researchers at the Technical University of Braunschweig and Volkswagen, included a litany of assumptions and caveats found in previous estimates for graphite carbon emissions. Some of the most popular references used to calculate climate impact inferred details from old manufacturing manuals and borrowed corollaries from processing other materials, like aluminum. Others simply took estimates for other carbon-based materials, and did not factor in the uniquely intensive refining steps needed to rearrange the atoms into graphite.


Pell’s research started with jotting down some back-of-the-envelope calculations. It helped to know that more than 90 percent of graphite for anodes comes from China, and the bulk of that from the northern Inner Mongolia region, where energy is cheap but depends largely on coal-fired power plants. Knowing the approximate carbon intensity of the power supply, he began mapping out the laborious steps for turning that graphite into anodes.
https://www.wired.com/video/watch/5...xplains-black-holes-in-5-levels-of-difficulty

Graphite comes in two forms: natural and synthetic. For natural graphite, that process begins with a mined ore that is crushed and milled into flakes, then separated in liquid and dried using coal furnaces. Next comes spheronization, in which the flakes are transported to another facility and run through dozens of mills to produce a spherical shape. At that point, the graphite is good enough for a pencil. To get anode-ready, the particles are treated with chemicals to remove impurities, and then they go through a coating step that makes them more conductive and better able to hold lithium ions. This requires blasting the particles in a furnace for about 15 hours at 1,300 degrees Celsius, or nearly 2,400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Synthetic graphite involves even more blazing temperatures. It typically requires taking a carbon product, like petroleum coke left over from producing oil, and heating it up for multiple weeks at 1,000 degrees Celsius to create a more homogenous material. The next step is graphitization, which involves cranking the temperature up to 3,000 degrees Celsius (that’s 5,400 degrees Fahrenheit, by the way) for days, a process that forces randomly ordered carbon atoms to straighten themselves out into a neat hexagonal lattice. Typically, these heating steps are done in open pit furnaces that take tremendous amounts of electricity to stay hot.

The two teams arrived at different numbers for the overall climate effect of graphite, which in part reflects differing data sources. (The German team relied on direct data from graphite suppliers and factored in the overall mix of energy sources in China, while the Minviro team used published estimates for graphite processing and the Inner Mongolian energy supply, which is dirtier than the average.) But the takeaway is effectively the same: Both show that the figures companies commonly use to assess their climate impact are often vast underestimates. Minviro estimates the emissions for synthetic graphite are up to 10 times higher than standard published estimates, or eight times for natural graphite. The German team arrived at four times higher for natural graphite, compared with a popular reference. Both teams advocate for more research and data to improve the estimates.
One of the primary ways to reduce those emissions would be to invest in graphite recycling, says Felipe Cerdas, one of the TU Braunschweig researchers—taking the anode out of a dead battery and retrieving the fine graphite powder for use in new batteries. That’s often less carbon-intensive than trying to make the material from scratch. But because graphite is so abundant and cheap, the economics of recycling don’t currently make sense. Most recyclers target higher-value metals like cobalt and nickel, using recycling methods that burn the graphite away.
That’s one reason having an accurate measure of graphite’s climate effects is important, Pell says. European officials are debating new regulations that would reduce the carbon emissions of battery production and require manufacturers to include specific ratios of recycled materials in new cells. Better awareness could help inform those rules, he says, and encourage a switch toward cleaner sources.


One option would be to locate graphite processing in places where the electricity supply is greener. Vianode, a subsidiary of the Norwegian metals processing company Elkem, is building a facility to produce synthetic graphite that would use closed, energy-efficient furnaces that run on electricity from the country’s abundant hydropower. The company has seen interest from others interested in bolstering their green reputations, says Stian Madshus, Vianode’s general manager for Europe. “It doesn’t make much sense to produce the world’s cleanest battery if the graphite inside it involves 20 kilograms of CO2 equivalent,” he says. “That’s a bad story.”
But there’s catching up to do. Chinese firms have decades of experience producing anode-quality graphite, making it difficult for Western companies to compete. But the country has the power to make a difference, Pell says, noting that the Chinese government has recently pushed to distribute energy-intensive industries across the country and increase the use of clean energy. “The ability to enact change is stronger there than anywhere else,” he says."
https://www.wired.com/story/the-surprising-climate-cost-of-the-humblest-battery-material/
 
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freewind

Emerged
Have any of you ever emailed Talga with a question? How long did it take for you to receive a reply?
 
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catdog

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Group 14 just raised $400 million in a funding round lead by Porsche. Apparently they will supply Porsche's Cellforce with Silicon Anodes. The first EV batteries to use Group14's anode material will go into production in 2023. Both of their production sites will be in Washington State.


Sila Nanotechnologies also just announced they will invest a few hundreds of millions of dollars into a new battery material factory in Washington state to support the production of up to 500,000 electric vehicles.
 
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cosors

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So much news, I can hardly keep up, feel like a hummingbird, take a break for now

"Conference on mining industry and indigenous peoples

Luleå University of Technology is organizing a conference on mining industry and indigenous peoples, "Mining industry and indigenous peoples: rights, regulations and working methods", on 20 April in the House of Science in Luleå.
...
The researchers have compared mining establishment processes in two Swedish and three Canadian cases. The Swedish cases are Gállok in Jokkmokk municipality and Aitik in Gällivare municipality."

...and here too it is quiet around us
At least one of you was interested. Here is the result of the funded study in form of this report in two parts:
https://www.ltu.se/cms_fs/1.219202!/file/brief1.pdf
https://www.ltu.se/cms_fs/1.219202!/file/brief2.pdf
 
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Semmel

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Let's hope it's positive! :)
 
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Exciting times ahead
 
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Semmel

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cosors

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cosors

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Thanks to Gvan (HC) and Google I stumbled across this intersting article:

"10 May 2022 | 11:30 UTC

Feature: More projects needed globally to combat future graphite deficit

HIGHLIGHTS

Structural deficit as soon as 2023-24

China produced around 79% of total global output in 2021

More government awareness needed




Battery Metals, Energy Transition, Environment and Sustainability

The market for battery anode raw material graphite is set to move into deficit by mid-decade on rising electric vehicle demand, with a number of companies looking to establish graphite mines and processing facilities outside traditional supplier China in a bid to diversify the supply chain.


Natural graphite is forecast to move into a structural deficit as soon as 2023-24, as global demand growth for processed graphite, also known as spherical graphite, begins to outstrip supply, EIT InnoEnergy and European Battery Alliance Policy Manager Ilka von Dalwigk told S&P Global Commodity Insights.

She highlighted forecasts from UBS, which estimates a natural graphite deficit of 3.7 million mt in 2030, representing some 37% of the market.

Global plug-in light duty EV sales are expected to reach 13.7 million units in 2025 and 26.8 million units in 2030, up from 6.3 million units in 2021, according to S&P Global analysts.

This higher demand for EVs has boosted battery raw material prices, with the Platts seaborne lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide assessments from S&P Global up 122% and 152%, respectively, since the start of 2022 to $75,000/mt CIF North Asia and $80,000/mt CIF North Asia on May 6.

"As the main material used for battery anodes, regardless of which cathode chemistry is chosen, graphite is a vital mineral required to support the growth of the battery market," von Dalwigk said. She added that, although EV graphite anodes could be synthetic or natural, by 2030 natural graphite anodes are expected to represent almost half of demand.

"The market share of natural flake graphite is expected to increase due to its favorable environmental footprint, especially as OEMs become ever more focused on supply chain sustainability," von Dalwigk said.

Critical Minerals Association founder Jeff Townsend also told S&P Global that current trends showed there would a discrepancy between global supply and demand going forward, which could be seen from the number of gigafactories being built.

"There is simply not enough in the western world," he said. "Most of the world's graphite goes through China so there will be significant competition for 'Western' graphite between Western companies. Doing graphite projects outside of China is very hard to do at traditional commercial levels."

China produced an estimated 820,000 mt of graphite in 2021, around 79% of total global output, and up from 762,000 mt in 2020, according to the US Geological Survey.

In comparison, the second-largest producer was Brazil at an estimated 68,000 mt, followed by Mozambique at an estimated 30,000 mt, Russia at 27,000 mt, and Madagascar at 22,000 mt, the USGS said in its Mineral Commodity Summaries January 2022.

Graphite projects outside China

To try to meet rising demand, future graphite mining is set to be focused in eastern Africa, as well as Scandinavia and the Americas, with a number of projects being developed at different phases.

While there are a number of companies developing graphite projects, demand is massive, Townsend said, adding that it was also important to look at whether the graphite to be extracted would be of a quality useful for the future industry.

"What we're finding is that simply the projects coming on board are not going to meet the objectives of some of the battery sector -- you need relatively pure graphite for longer distances... that's scarce and there are also some ESG questions around the mines that do exist," Townsend said.

Mined graphite is usually processed to 95-96% carbon purity on site, but must be processed further elsewhere into a spherical, coated 99.95% purity product to be used in battery cells.

More graphite processing facilities are also needed outside of China, which processes most of the world's spherical coated graphite.

To mitigate predicted supply chain constraints, new projects to produce both sustainable natural and synthetic graphite should be promoted, von Dalwigk said.

She cited Talga in Sweden and Norway-based Skaland as two examples of sustainable natural graphite production projects in Europe, along with Vianode in Norway as a synthetic anode material developer.

Von Dalwigk also pointed out that there are projects under way to produce carbon-based anode materials from bio-based materials, such as Finnish company Stora Enso, which converts lignin separated from wood into a carbon anode material.

Such products could replace synthetic and non-renewable graphite material in the future, she said.

"Though pioneering projects such as this are still to be upscaled...they provide a clear example of why more research support for innovative materials including open research facilities for testing, upscaling, and piloting are vital to ensure we meet the demand for graphite both quickly and sustainably," von Dalwigk said.

Explore infographic: Africa set for boom in graphite mining projects as EV battery demand surges


sp talga.jpg


Government awareness

Governments need to be more aware of the upcoming graphite deficit, Townsend said, adding that the CMA was formed to increase awareness of the importance of such critical minerals.

The CMA provides a secretariat to the UK's All-Party Parliamentary Group for Critical Minerals, or APPG, which was established in March 2020 to highlight the country's need for a secure, sustainable supply of critical minerals.

The UK needs to be able to source more and better graphite, as well its own industry processing, Townsend said.

"Without it we're totally dependent on China currently, but it'll be Europe in the future, so we're trying to highlight that issue and trying to get the government to be a bit more sympathetic to the needs of industry," he said.

In Europe, EIT InnoEnergy supports projects along the entire battery value chain, from mining to recycling, which also includes graphite."

https://www.spglobal.com/commodityi...ed-globally-to-combat-future-graphite-deficit


 
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Semmel

Top 20
Interesting article hitting the same notch:


(Curtasy to Pharvest of HC to put out the tweet that lead to the link above)

Unfortunately, I cant get behind the paywall. Here is the opening.

Graphite is one of those materials which investors seem to have a hard time getting their heads around. While the graphite industry is complex, we believe that it’s also one of the segments that is the most under-invested within the battery raw materials space currently. This is a problem because it’s a core segment. Whether your preferred chemistry is LFP or ternary, the chances are that you will still need a graphite anode for your cell. And in a few years, there’s likely not going to be enough graphite anode material to go around. It’s fair to say that we...
 
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cosors

👀
An opinion, but fits the election campaign. Copper is also important to make Europe independent and to realize the GD. I'll stay out of the Kallak issue, but you know the situation anyway.

"Welcome change in the government's mining policy​

The government wants to make it easier to open mines in Sweden. A Natura 2000 test will take place together with the environmental test to avoid duplication of work, Minister of Trade and Industry Karl-Petter Thorwaldsson announced on Friday.
Published: May 6, 2022, 7:30 p.m.


WINNER.  Boliden can be a winner on the news that the government wants to simplify the permit examination for mines.

WINNER. Boliden can be a winner on the news that the government wants to simplify the permit examination for mines.

The message is positive for the entire mining industry, but perhaps especially for Boliden BOL -1.91% who have struggled with a tenacious Natura 2000 case for the Laver copper deposit in Älvsbyn municipality. The case is a good example of what has gone wrong in Swedish mining policy during the years when the Green Party was part of the government.

Redan 2014 ansökte Boliden om en bearbetningskoncession i Laver, det vill säga ett tillstånd för undersökning och brytning. Fallet har fastnat i domstol. Regeringen kräver en Natura 2000-prövning innan ansökan kan behandlas. Boliden har å sin sida hävdat att en sådan prövning är omöjlig att genomföra i ett så tidigt skede.
Det har fått en rad negativa följder – för bolaget, miljön och sysselsättningen.
While waiting for a possible permit, Boliden has distributed significant parts of the profits instead of doing what the company prefers to do: invest in Laver. An investment that could create jobs and tax revenues has ended up in an uncertain waiting situation. At the same time, Europe is screaming for copper to cope with increasing electrification. For example, an electric car contains around four times as much copper as a fossil-powered one. That one of the world's most interesting copper deposits is not exploited seems incomprehensible.
But when the MP was in government, mining policy was not governed by reason. The party used its position to delay permit processes. But since the MP left the government and the mining enthusiast Karl-Petter Thorwaldsson took over as Minister of Trade and Industry, the political course has been changed. In March, the government said yes to the controversial mining project in Kallak, to the MP's great annoyance.
Sweden is rich in metals and minerals. They are central to electrification and the green transition, two of the most powerful economic trends in the world. It is important that the mining companies are given the right conditions to meet that need. The fact that the government is appointing an inquiry to simplify the permit examination is a step in the right direction."
https://www.di.se/ledare/valkommet-skifte-i-regeringens-gruvpolitik/
 
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cosors

👀
Interesting article hitting the same notch:


(Curtasy to Pharvest of HC to put out the tweet that lead to the link above)

Unfortunately, I cant get behind the paywall. Here is the opening.

Graphite is one of those materials which investors seem to have a hard time getting their heads around. While the graphite industry is complex, we believe that it’s also one of the segments that is the most under-invested within the battery raw materials space currently. This is a problem because it’s a core segment. Whether your preferred chemistry is LFP or ternary, the chances are that you will still need a graphite anode for your cell. And in a few years, there’s likely not going to be enough graphite anode material to go around. It’s fair to say that we...
Thanks Semmel! It's good to read that clearly.
 

Diogenese

Top 20
Thanks to Gvan (HC) and Google I stumbled across this intersting article:

"10 May 2022 | 11:30 UTC

Feature: More projects needed globally to combat future graphite deficit

HIGHLIGHTS

Structural deficit as soon as 2023-24

China produced around 79% of total global output in 2021

More government awareness needed




Battery Metals, Energy Transition, Environment and Sustainability

The market for battery anode raw material graphite is set to move into deficit by mid-decade on rising electric vehicle demand, with a number of companies looking to establish graphite mines and processing facilities outside traditional supplier China in a bid to diversify the supply chain.


Natural graphite is forecast to move into a structural deficit as soon as 2023-24, as global demand growth for processed graphite, also known as spherical graphite, begins to outstrip supply, EIT InnoEnergy and European Battery Alliance Policy Manager Ilka von Dalwigk told S&P Global Commodity Insights.

She highlighted forecasts from UBS, which estimates a natural graphite deficit of 3.7 million mt in 2030, representing some 37% of the market.

Global plug-in light duty EV sales are expected to reach 13.7 million units in 2025 and 26.8 million units in 2030, up from 6.3 million units in 2021, according to S&P Global analysts.

This higher demand for EVs has boosted battery raw material prices, with the Platts seaborne lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide assessments from S&P Global up 122% and 152%, respectively, since the start of 2022 to $75,000/mt CIF North Asia and $80,000/mt CIF North Asia on May 6.

"As the main material used for battery anodes, regardless of which cathode chemistry is chosen, graphite is a vital mineral required to support the growth of the battery market," von Dalwigk said. She added that, although EV graphite anodes could be synthetic or natural, by 2030 natural graphite anodes are expected to represent almost half of demand.

"The market share of natural flake graphite is expected to increase due to its favorable environmental footprint, especially as OEMs become ever more focused on supply chain sustainability," von Dalwigk said.

Critical Minerals Association founder Jeff Townsend also told S&P Global that current trends showed there would a discrepancy between global supply and demand going forward, which could be seen from the number of gigafactories being built.

"There is simply not enough in the western world," he said. "Most of the world's graphite goes through China so there will be significant competition for 'Western' graphite between Western companies. Doing graphite projects outside of China is very hard to do at traditional commercial levels."

China produced an estimated 820,000 mt of graphite in 2021, around 79% of total global output, and up from 762,000 mt in 2020, according to the US Geological Survey.

In comparison, the second-largest producer was Brazil at an estimated 68,000 mt, followed by Mozambique at an estimated 30,000 mt, Russia at 27,000 mt, and Madagascar at 22,000 mt, the USGS said in its Mineral Commodity Summaries January 2022.

Graphite projects outside China

To try to meet rising demand, future graphite mining is set to be focused in eastern Africa, as well as Scandinavia and the Americas, with a number of projects being developed at different phases.

While there are a number of companies developing graphite projects, demand is massive, Townsend said, adding that it was also important to look at whether the graphite to be extracted would be of a quality useful for the future industry.

"What we're finding is that simply the projects coming on board are not going to meet the objectives of some of the battery sector -- you need relatively pure graphite for longer distances... that's scarce and there are also some ESG questions around the mines that do exist," Townsend said.

Mined graphite is usually processed to 95-96% carbon purity on site, but must be processed further elsewhere into a spherical, coated 99.95% purity product to be used in battery cells.

More graphite processing facilities are also needed outside of China, which processes most of the world's spherical coated graphite.

To mitigate predicted supply chain constraints, new projects to produce both sustainable natural and synthetic graphite should be promoted, von Dalwigk said.

She cited Talga in Sweden and Norway-based Skaland as two examples of sustainable natural graphite production projects in Europe, along with Vianode in Norway as a synthetic anode material developer.

Von Dalwigk also pointed out that there are projects under way to produce carbon-based anode materials from bio-based materials, such as Finnish company Stora Enso, which converts lignin separated from wood into a carbon anode material.

Such products could replace synthetic and non-renewable graphite material in the future, she said.

"Though pioneering projects such as this are still to be upscaled...they provide a clear example of why more research support for innovative materials including open research facilities for testing, upscaling, and piloting are vital to ensure we meet the demand for graphite both quickly and sustainably," von Dalwigk said.

Explore infographic: Africa set for boom in graphite mining projects as EV battery demand surges


View attachment 6241

Government awareness

Governments need to be more aware of the upcoming graphite deficit, Townsend said, adding that the CMA was formed to increase awareness of the importance of such critical minerals.

The CMA provides a secretariat to the UK's All-Party Parliamentary Group for Critical Minerals, or APPG, which was established in March 2020 to highlight the country's need for a secure, sustainable supply of critical minerals.

The UK needs to be able to source more and better graphite, as well its own industry processing, Townsend said.

"Without it we're totally dependent on China currently, but it'll be Europe in the future, so we're trying to highlight that issue and trying to get the government to be a bit more sympathetic to the needs of industry," he said.

In Europe, EIT InnoEnergy supports projects along the entire battery value chain, from mining to recycling, which also includes graphite."

https://www.spglobal.com/commodityi...ed-globally-to-combat-future-graphite-deficit


'sfunny. My interest in Talga was first piqued by the graphene aspect, but that's still waiting for the killer application.
But MT was quick to alter course and go all out on batteries.
They say luck's a fortune, and in MT's case, it was preceded by great foresight in recognizing the importance of the quality graphite deposit.
You make your own luck.
 
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cosors

👀
'sfunny. My interest in Talga was first piqued by the graphene aspect, but that's still waiting for the killer application.
But MT was quick to alter course and go all out on batteries.
They say luck's a fortune, and in MT's case, it was preceded by great foresight in recognizing the importance of the quality graphite deposit.
You make your own luck.
You make your own luck.
Exactly! I felt exactly the same as you. Talga was the only graphene producer I could find in Germany. I think graphene will come automatically with production. There is a lot of research going on all over the world for applications. And here too, MT had a vision and a lucky hand. The most promising application that can soon be implemented worldwide is the coating of ships, as far as I can see. The largest real test coating comes from Talga and the researchers are eagerly awaiting the results, as we. Here our two companies are very similar. When I think about the multitude of possible breakthrough applications, it blows my brain.

And there are many producers for graphene. One even tries to sell it in bags to end customers because he is sitting on the production. What is missing is proof of a sensible mass application. Again, I'm thinking of coating, not safety shoes or pools like the other company.
 
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cosors

👀
Interesting to take a closer look.

eba250

"May 16, 2022​

Germany grants IPCEI funding to Northvolt​

As reported by electrive.com last week, Northvolt will receive European funding for its manufacturing plant in Germany via the IPCEI (Important Projects of Common European Interest) mechanism. The IPCEI is a transnational project funded by state aid aiming at promoting strategic industrial areas in the EU, thus contributing to growth, employment and competitivess.
The establishment of special funding programmes like the IPCEI to support the development of a sustainable battery value chain in Europe was one of the high priority actions identified as crucial for reaching the goal of the European Battery Alliance back in 2017. We are pleased to see that many Member States have now used this opportunity to support innovative battery projects and foster cooperation."

and:

Northvolt granted funding for German plant​

https://www.electrive.com/2022/05/12/northvolt-granted-funding-for-german-plant/
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

and from the
1652870986516.png
an update
May 17, 2022

"How the European Battery Alliance is driving decarbonisation in Europe​

The European Battery Alliance has been recognised as a blueprint for European industrial strategy. Now, EBA250 is calling for an upgrade to Europe’s battery chain ambitions. And it has a plan to deliver on them, as explained by Thore Sekkenes, EBA250 Programme Director at EIT InnoEnergy.
Launched in 2017 under the auspices of European Commission Vice President Maroš Šefčovič and driven by EIT InnoEnergy, the EBA’s mission is to create a competitive and sustainable battery cell manufacturing value chain in Europe. And our achievements to-date speak for themselves. But through the supply chain disruptions that were experienced during the Covid-19 pandemic and more recently the war in Ukraine, the need for resilient industrial value chains for the EU’s economic growth, decarbonisation and strategic autonomy has become ever more pressing. So while we have made significant progress, gaps remain for the full deployment of a resilient end-to-end battery industry. Addressing these will further support the EU’s decarbonisation and provide even more opportunities within the industry. Understand how this can be achieved by reading the full article published on Innovation News Network."
https://www.eba250.com/how-the-european-battery-alliance-is-driving-decarbonisation-in-europe/

From the Innovation News Network:
"Although it is a good problem to have, the EBA is now ahead of its plan for 2025 that we set in 2017. Back then, we predicted €250bn of new annual GDP and 400 GWh of cell manufacturing capacity committed by 2025. Already by 2021, the total level of investment along the battery value chain amounted to €127bn. An additional investment of €382bn is expected to create a self-sufficient battery industry by 2030. The resulting aim is to have Europe capable of supporting 1,000 GWh of demand across mobility, energy storage systems (ESS), last mile, and other sectors by that time.
...
Clarifying the status of mining and processing in the EU sustainable finance taxonomy and qualifying all battery-related activities as Do No Significant Harm (DNSH) would be a big step. Additionally, strong involvement of EU and national public investors coupled with upgraded access to public grants to reduce the cost of capital in the early phases would boost private investment.
...
Mining of domestic raw materials, processing and refining, and production of active battery-grade materials remain an issue."
 

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Diogenese

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Mercedes-Benz And Sila Announce Breakthrough In Silicon Anode Chemistry​

https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/othe...sedgntp&cvid=41b1715f44e646219a8a61c9ca835220

Mercedes-Benz announced that, together with Sila Nanotechnologies, a battery materials company, they achieved a breakthrough with high silicon automotive batteries.

The plan is to optionally equip the upcoming electric Mercedes-Benz G-Class (see concept here) with next generation battery cells with silicon anodes, from mid-decade. As we understand, the word "optionally" means that the default solution will be a more conventional lithium-ion battery chemistry, while the Sila cells will maybe offer higher capacity/higher range
.

I'm guessing that the nano-Si will be costly to make as it is only a proposed option at present.

This is a Sila patent appliction which addresses the Si expansion problem:

WO2019079652A1 ANODE ELECTRODE COMPOSITION OF LI-ION BATTERY CELL

a Li-ion battery cell comprises an anode electrode with an electrode coating that

(1) comprises Si-comprising active material particles,

(2) exhibits an areal capacity loading in the range of about 3 mAh/cm2 to about 12 mAh/cm2,

(3) exhibits a volumetric capacity in the range from about 600 mAh/cc to about 1800 mAh/cc in a charged state of the cell,

(4) comprises conductive additive material particles, and

(5) comprises a polymer binder that is configured to bind the Si-comprising active material particles and the conductive additive material particles together to stabilize the anode electrode against volume expansion during the one or more charge-discharge cycles of the battery cell while maintaining the electrical connection between the metal current collector and the Si-comprising active material particles
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[0021] In case of Si-comprising (nano)composite anode powders, in some designs it may be particularly useful for the battery designs to use those with the specific capacity in the range from about 500 mAh/g to about 3000 mAh/g. In some designs, the specific capacity of such powders may range from about 600 mAh/g to about 2200 mAh/g in a de-lithiated state of a Li-ion battery operation. In some designs, a combination of graphite or graphite-like carbon active material particles with Si-comprising particles (including various silicon-based composites, silicon oxides, silicon nitrides, silicon phosphides, silicon hydrides, silicon alloys, etc., which may in some designs be coated with a conductive carbon layer or comprise conductive carbon in their composition and which may in some designs comprise polymer in their composition or comprise pores in their composition, etc.) may be used in the anode coating layer. In some designs, Si-comprising particles may experience from about 8 vol. % to about 180 vol.% during one or more charge-discharge cycles of the battery operation. In some designs, Si-comprising particles may exhibit average size in the range from about 50 nm to about 20 micron (in some designs, from about 0.2 to about 10 micron). In some designs, Si-comprising anode coatings may be at least partially pre-lithiated (prior to final Li-ion battery cell assembling) to compensate for the first cycle losses and/or to provide other benefits. In either case of Si-comprising anodes, the anode coating layer may advantageously exhibit volumetric capacity (e.g., in the lithiated state (charged state of the cell) and the resulting expansion during the initial or several (e.g., about 1-10) initial charges) in the range from about 600 mAh/cc to about 1800 mAh/cc (in some designs, from about 700 mAh/cc to about 1400 mAh/cc) in a charged state of the Li-ion battery cell.
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[0024] In particular, high-capacity (nano)composite anode powders, which exhibit moderately high volume changes (e.g., about 8 - 180 vol. %) during the first charge- discharge cycle, moderate volume changes (e.g., about 4 - 50 vol.%) during the subsequent charge-discharge cycles and an average size in the range from around 0.2 to around 40 microns (more preferably from around 0.4 to around 20 microns) may be particularly attractive for battery applications in terms of manufacturability and performance characteristics
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cosors

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That is perhaps the technology that is in the EQXX. I think it was said that there is a lot of silicon in it. The car is supposed to come in 2024, I think.
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This is about the same date and I underline optional:

"Mercedes EQG to receive optional cells with silicon anodes
Anode material from Californian specialist Sila to increase energy density by 20 to 40 percent to 800 Wh/liter

Mercedes plans to use new types of battery cells with silicon anodes in the future. The materials for this come from the Californian specialist Sila, as Mercedes now reports.

The silicon anode chemistry is to be used from the middle of the decade in batteries that will be available for the first time as an option for the planned electric Mercedes G-Class. The model, unveiled as a study at the IAA in fall 2021, will likely be called the EQG. The high-silicon cells will add another cell chemistry to the Mercedes battery portfolio, according to the Stuttgart-based company.
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https://insideevs.de/news/586396/mercedes-eqg-batteriezellen-siliciumanode-sila/
 
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Slymeat

Move on, nothing to see.
It seems Talga need to pull their finger out on Talnode-Si project. Although in Oct 2020, they did say they were fast tracking it.

Talga fast tracks Talnode-Si

I wish there was an annotation to the time-scale axis on the following:
1652959703142.png
 
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Promoting talga while promoting themselves. Nice😁
 

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cosors

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