Birla Carbon, a global leader in the manufacture and supply of high-quality, sustainable carbon black solutions, has collaborated with NC State University, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Ensyn, The Battery Innovation Center (BIC), and Yale University, to develop and scale-up the production of biocrude-derived graphite for lithium-ion batteries – Biocrude Derived Anode Material (BDAM).

“The demand for lithium-ion batteries is rapidly increasing and is only expected to accelerate over the next decade,” said Dr. Ann Schoeb, chief research and development officer, Birla Carbon. “With this project, Birla Carbon aims to establish itself as a key player in the energy systems domain by walking a path of sustainability towards producing these integral materials. As a key player in this collaboration project, Birla Carbon will convert the biocrude-derived coke to battery-grade graphite using a new-to-the-world graphitization technology, which greatly improves the sustainability of battery materials production by both increasing product output and decreasing energy usage.”  

After obtaining the results, the materials characterization, techno-economic analysis, and life cycle analysis will be conducted at Birla Carbon, NC State, NREL, and Yale.

Being the first global carbon black company to announce its aspiration to reach Net Zero Carbon Emissions by 2050, this project aims to produce graphite more sustainably using renewable feedstocks and aligns with Birla Carbon’s goal. The increase in demand for electric vehicles is primarily fueling the lithium-ion battery market, and portable electronic devices, power tools, residential energy storage, and grid-level storage are applications becoming increasingly dependent on this technology. Graphite is one of the materials in a lithium-ion battery that stores lithium. Producing battery-grade graphite from biocrude offers a more sustainable pathway toward producing these valuable materials.