US turns biomass into graphite to boost domestic supply for batteries

Researchers from the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR) and North Carolina State University (NCSU) have developed innovative methods to convert biomass—such as forestry and agricultural waste—into high-quality graphite suitable for batteries, steel, and advanced manufacturing. This breakthrough offers a promising way for the U.S. to reduce dependence on imported graphite, primarily from China, by leveraging abundant domestic biomass resources. The team introduced two main pathways: one adapts existing petroleum refinery equipment to process biomass-derived bio-oil into graphite, while the other uses an iron catalyst to lower the temperature needed for graphitization, significantly cutting energy consumption and costs. The first pathway involves fast pyrolysis of biomass to produce bio-oil, which can be upgraded into fuels or converted into bio-graphite using refinery machinery with minimal operational changes. The second pathway reduces the graphitization temperature from over 5,400°F to between 1,832°F and 2,732°F by employing an iron catalyst, making