Chain
Particle processing
Micronization and spheronization mill purified flake graphite into rounded particles — uncoated spherical purified graphite — sized for anode coating. Spherical graphite supply is largely a Chinese export business now operating behind Beijing's December 2023 export-licensing regime; the first U.S. commercial plant began production in February 2024.
Stage diagram
Spherical graphite reaches world markets overwhelmingly as Chinese exports — 25,500 tons in the first 8 months of 2024, with the Republic of Korea (49%), Japan (29%), and the United States (19%) as the leading recipients — and those flows sit behind China's export restrictions that took effect in December 2023. The United States' first commercial spherical graphite production began only in February 2024, at 11,300 tons per year.
Materials at this stage: Purified flake graphite, Uncoated spherical graphite
Facility-line flow trace
| Facility / line | Location | Stage and derived state | Input → output |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kilbourne Graphite Purification Plant, Anniston Army Depot | Anniston, Alabama | Purification Announced | Natural graphite concentrate → Purified flake graphite |
| Kilbourne Graphite Purification Plant, Anniston Army Depot | Anniston, Alabama | Anode finishing Announced | Purified flake graphite → Coated spherical purified graphite (CSPG) |
| Kilbourne Graphite Purification Plant, Pine Bluff Arsenal | Pine Bluff, Arkansas | Purification Announced | Natural graphite concentrate → Purified flake graphite |
| Kilbourne Graphite Purification Plant, Pine Bluff Arsenal | Pine Bluff, Arkansas | Anode finishing Announced | Purified flake graphite → Coated spherical purified graphite (CSPG) |
| Syrah Vidalia Active Anode Material Facility | Vidalia, Louisiana | Purification | Natural graphite concentrate → Purified flake graphite |
| Syrah Vidalia Active Anode Material Facility | Vidalia, Louisiana | Particle processing | Purified flake graphite → Uncoated spherical graphite |
| Syrah Vidalia Active Anode Material Facility | Vidalia, Louisiana | Anode finishing | Uncoated spherical graphite → Coated spherical purified graphite (CSPG) |
| EcoGraf Battery Anode Material Facility, Western Australia | Site not named in any source loaded 2026-08-12, Western Australia | Purification Financed | Natural graphite concentrate → Uncoated spherical graphite |
| Graphinex Townsville Graphite-to-Anode Demonstration Facility | Townsville, Queensland | Purification | Natural graphite concentrate → Purified flake graphite |
| Graphinex Townsville Graphite-to-Anode Demonstration Facility | Townsville, Queensland | Anode finishing | Purified flake graphite → Coated spherical purified graphite (CSPG) |
| Renascor Purified Spherical Graphite Facility, Bolivar | Bolivar, South Australia | Purification Commissioned | Natural graphite concentrate → Uncoated spherical graphite |
| Renascor Purified Spherical Graphite Facility, Bolivar | Bolivar, South Australia | Purification Financed | Natural graphite concentrate → Purified flake graphite |
| Renascor Purified Spherical Graphite Facility, Bolivar | Bolivar, South Australia | Particle processing Financed | Purified flake graphite → Uncoated spherical graphite |
| NMG Bécancour Battery Material Plant | Bécancour, Québec | Purification Announced | Natural graphite concentrate → Purified flake graphite |
| NMG Bécancour Battery Material Plant | Bécancour, Québec | Particle processing Announced | Purified flake graphite → Uncoated spherical graphite |
| NMG Bécancour Battery Material Plant | Bécancour, Québec | Anode finishing Announced | Uncoated spherical graphite → Coated spherical purified graphite (CSPG) |
| NGC Battery Materials BAM Plant (France, site not stated in source) | — | Purification Announced | Natural graphite concentrate → Uncoated spherical graphite |
| NGC Battery Materials BAM Plant (France, site not stated in source) | — | Anode finishing Announced | Uncoated spherical graphite → Coated spherical purified graphite (CSPG) |
| Mitsubishi Chemical Kagawa Plant Natural-Graphite Anode Line | Sakaide, Kagawa Prefecture | Anode finishing Announced | Uncoated spherical graphite → Coated spherical purified graphite (CSPG) |
| Talga Luleå Anode Refinery and EVA Qualification Plant | Luleå, Norrbotten | Purification Announced | Natural graphite concentrate → Purified flake graphite |
| Talga Luleå Anode Refinery and EVA Qualification Plant | Luleå, Norrbotten | Particle processing Announced | Purified flake graphite → Uncoated spherical graphite |
| Talga Luleå Anode Refinery and EVA Qualification Plant | Luleå, Norrbotten | Anode finishing Announced | Uncoated spherical graphite → Coated spherical purified graphite (CSPG) |
Sources
- U.S. Geological Survey · published Mar 1, 2025 · retrieved Aug 12, 2026 · archive unavailable: Wayback verification blocked by archive.org outage on 2026-08-12; recheck on a weekly pass
- U.S. Department of Energy · published Dec 1, 2024 · retrieved Aug 12, 2026 · archive unavailable: Wayback verification blocked by archive.org outage on 2026-08-12; recheck on a weekly pass