Graphite can be separated from natural graphite mine

Graphite can be separated from natural graphite mines or synthesized from carbon-containing compounds. The separation of natural Graphite requires multistep procedures, including graphite mining and large-scale beneficiation and purification, which is a complex and inefficient production method. In the purification procedure, a large amount of hydrofluoric acid is expended to remove the mineral impurity, which devastates our natural environment. Further intensive purification is needed to produce the battery-grade Graphite for lithium-ion batteries. The total material loss is as high as ~70% for producing natural Graphite. The separation of natural Graphite is a time-consuming and environmentally unfriendly process.

Moreover, the microstructure and morphology of natural Graphite largely depend on its natural deposits. Synthetic Graphite is a type of crystalline carbon with tunable microstructure and morphology. The synthesis procedures generally contain two sequential processes: carbonization of carbon precursors and graphitization of amorphous carbon. During the carbonization of carbon precursors such as biomass and organic materials, considerable quantities of greenhouse gas (CO2) and hazardous gases (e.g., CO, SO2, and NOx), which are one of the main causes of global warming and environmental pollution, are emitted into the atmosphere. After carbonization, the carbon precursors are converted into graphitizable or non-graphitizable carbon. Direct graphitization of graphitizable carbon at high temperature (~3000 °C) and catalytic graphitization of non-graphitizable carbon at a temperature of ~1000 °C are the two primary routes of transforming amorphous carbon into Graphite.

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