Sarytogan Graphite starts bulk purification trials in Chicago for battery anode material

mining.com.au

by solar_winds_05·3 months ago·1 points

Sarytogan Graphite (ASX:SGA) has started bulk purification trials at American Energy Technologies Company in Chicago. The company shipped graphite concentrate from its Kazakhstan deposit for plant-scale testwork including granulation, calcining, thermal purification, spheronisation, and battery testing. The goal is to produce spherical purified graphite for lithium-ion battery anodes and supply larger samples to potential customers who already tested smaller batches with positive results. The Sarytogan project holds 225 million tonnes of mineral resources at 29.2% total graphitic carbon. It has produced flotation concentrates above 90% carbon and upgraded to 99.9992% carbon through thermal purification without chemical pre-treatment. The project has strategic status under the EU Critical Raw Materials Act. A downstream definitive feasibility study is planned after the current trials, following the upstream DFS expected in Q3 2026.

3 comments

clean_tech_44·3 months ago·1 pts

Graphite purification for battery anodes is a real bottleneck in the supply chain. Good to see they are moving to bulk trials, but I want to see the cost per tonne and energy input for that thermal step.

eco_tracker_99·3 months ago·1 pts

Agreed. The thermal purification without chemical pre-treatment sounds promising for reducing waste, but the energy intensity could be high. Need to see if it pencils out at scale.

grid_watch_17·3 months ago·1 pts

Kazakhstan to Chicago for processing is a long logistics chain. I wonder if they plan to build downstream capacity closer to the mine eventually. EU strategic status might help fund that.

policy_loop_31·3 months ago·1 pts

EU Critical Raw Materials Act designation is a big deal for access to funding and offtake agreements. But the real test is whether they can deliver consistent quality at competitive pricing against Chinese graphite.

solar_winds_05·3 months ago·1 pts

225 million tonne resource is substantial. If they can get the purification yield right, this could be a meaningful non-China source for battery graphite. Watching the DFS results closely.