The huge growth in the use of lithium-ion batteries means that recycling of anode battery materials will develop, although from a weaker base than the more profitable cathode recycling, according to market data company Fastmarkets.
Its research suggests that adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) is expected to boost graphite anode consumption in batteries to 2,715,000 tonnes in 2032 from 508,000 tonnes in 2022.
Until anode recycling becomes more profitable, it said increasingly large volumes of graphite will remain tied up in used batteries at a time when consumers want to eradicate waste.
“Closed-loop anode recycling is important to reduce waste, potentially lower input costs, provide a domestic source of material, and reduce transportation times to battery manufacturers, among other benefits,” Alexander Allen, director of mining at metals processing technology company Nth Cycle, told Fastmarkets.
Nth Cycle will produce a low-grade graphite product by the end of the year from its recycling project in the US, which uses an electro-extraction system.
Graphite supply is expected to fall into deficit later this year, which should push up prices, according to Fastmarkets research.
While many companies are looking at selling graphite for use in non-battery applications such as steel-making, turning it into anode-grade material would require additional processing.
French recycler Orano plans to return recycled anode material into the battery raw material supply chain, said Fastmarkets.
Recycled graphite has also re-entered the market as “fake flake”, reported Fastmarkets. This is man-made graphite flake reprocessed from spherical graphite waste.