Upcycling Natural Graphite By-products into Active Anode Materials for Batteries

PROJECT COST:

1 550 000 $

PRIMA CONTRIBUTION:

500 000 $

PROJECT DETAILS:

Natural graphite is currently widely used to produce active materials for Li-ion battery anodes. The manufacturing process involves micronization, spheronization, purification, and coating of the graphite. The micronization and spheronization steps generate by-products, representing 45–55% of the initial material (graphite particles too small to form spheres). These losses significantly increase production costs, transportation expenses, and environmental impact.

This project aims to convert the finest graphite particles into active anode material using a proprietary process developed by NanoXplore. This production process is part of NanoXplore’s intellectual property portfolio.

NanoXplore plans to further develop this process through a pilot plant in Montreal and to establish a full-scale anode production facility with a capacity of 16,000 tonnes in the Montreal area by 2025. The upcycled material will eventually be used in Quebec for the manufacture of lithium-ion cells by a local cell producer (VoltaXplore), serving Quebec-based electric vehicle manufacturers.