Graphite test results point to production
By Industry Queensland
The stars are aligning for another battery materials manufacturing plant in Queensland following the release of research and testing results by Perth-based Lithium Energy.
Lithium Energy has confirmed what it calls, ‘excellent battery electrochemical test work results’ from spherical purified graphite (SPG) produced from the company’s Burke graphite project.
The Burke graphite project is located 125km north of Cloncurry while the company’s Corella project is 20km west of Cloncurry.
The test work provided further validation of the exceptional quality of the Burke graphite as highly valued battery anode material (BAM) for use in lithium ion batteries, the company said.
The ‘outstanding’ electrochemical battery testing results were the final piece of the ‘BAM puzzle,’ executive chairman William Johnson said.
“The company will now focus on optimising the BAM development pathway and implementing a process to produce marketable quantities of SPG that will be used to secure offtake agreements,” he said.
“This includes continuing its plans to install and operate an SPG pilot plant in Queensland.
“We are now entering a very exciting phase of the development of our vertically integrated Australian-based BAM business.”
The electrochemical battery test work overseen by ProGraphite delivered ‘outstanding’ results with lithium-ion battery cells made with Burke uncoated SPG (purified to 99.97 per cent TGC), the company said.
Results showed Burke uncoated SPG has a high specific charge capacity of + 362 – 364mAh/g which is close to the theoretical maximum specific charge capacity of natural graphite of + 372mAh/g.
It also has very high coulometric efficiencies of 99.3 – 99.8 per cent over multiple charging and discharging cycles of the battery test; high crystallinity and low levels of graphite degradation under multiple high charging/discharging cycles.
“Lithium Energy will now focus on the development of an SPG pilot plant in Queensland as the next stage in development of a world-leading vertically integrated, Australian based battery anode material (BAM) business,” the company stated.
