Why is graphite so expensive

Large, high-volume buyers mainly provide their prices and tend to be conservative. Most small buyers pay higher than published prices. Graphite miners crush and grind their ore and separate the flakes of Graphite from the waste rock through a standard industry process known as flotation. Diamond is costlier due to its rareness, unique properties and wide varieties of application potentials than Graphite. Chemically, diamonds have only sp3 bonds which are "perfect" tetrahedrons at the molecular level and, therefore, can be "perfect" crystals. Diamond is rarer than Graphite because the bonds formed in the diamond are stronger and need high energy and pressure, whereas Graphite can be formed in normal conditions. Global mine production of Graphite was 1,037,000 tonnes in 2021, up 7% compared to the previous year. China is the leading global producer, accounting for 79% of production in 2021. There are two types of CSPG graphite used in Li-ion batteries — synthetic (~USD$20,000* per tonne average selling price) and natural Graphite is insoluble in water and organic solvents - for the same reason that diamond is insoluble. Attractions between solvent molecules and carbon atoms will never be strong enough to overcome the strong covalent bonds in Graphite. Graphene is a layer of carbon atoms obtained from Graphite, which we can find, for example, in the tip of a pencil. Arranged in a honeycomb-like pattern, it is 200 times stronger than steel, harder than diamond, and carries heat and electricity better than any other material, including gold or copper. Diamonds do not last forever. Diamonds degrade to Graphite because Graphite is a lower-energy configuration under typical conditions. Diamond (the stuff in wedding rings) and Graphite (the stuff in pencils) are crystalline pure carbon forms. If you are looking for high quality, high purity and cost-effective graphite, or if you require the latest price of graphite, please feel free to email contact mis-asia.

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