Increasing graphite and manganese production in the United States to meet battery manufacturing needs

Several companies in the United States are working to increase production of graphite and manganese to meet the needs of battery manufacturers, but have not yet started large-scale production.
Anoion, the largest supplier of graphite for batteries in North America, announced in May this year that it plans to invest $800 million (partially funded by the US Department of Energy) in Georgia to build a factory to produce artificial graphite made from needle coke.
Battery material supplier Novonix plans to collaborate with Korean battery manufacturer LG New Energy Company on the production of artificial graphite in the near future. If the cooperation is reached, LG will purchase artificial graphite from Novonix’s proposed US factory.
In June of this year, Epsilon announced plans to invest $650 million in the United States to build a 50000 ton/year artificial graphite production capacity. Graphex Technologies has obtained an environmental permit to build a graphite factory in Michigan.
Almost all lithium-ion batteries require the use of graphite as the negative electrode. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), most of the graphite used in electric vehicle batteries is mined and processed in China.
In addition, battery manufacturers are looking for ways to reduce the cost of battery positive electrodes, such as using cheaper manganese instead of nickel. Adding manganese to lithium iron phosphate batteries can improve their energy density.
Since the 1970s, the United States has not mined manganese ore, but in May this year, the US government decided to provide rapid approval for South 32’s manganese zinc mining project in Arizona. In June of this year, General Motors announced that it would provide a $85 million loan to Element 25’s manganese sulfate plant in Louisiana, which would be the first manganese sulfate plant in the United States. The factory uses Australian manganese ore raw materials for production, and General Motors is preparing to buy out the factory’s 32500 tons/year manganese sulfate production.