Chain

Graphite → battery anodes

The graphite chain runs from mined natural flake and graphitizable carbon precursors through purification, particle processing, and graphitization to battery-grade anode material. Both routes — natural and synthetic — end at the anode material that lithium-ion batteries require.

Facts on this page last re-verified Aug 12, 2026 — the oldest verification date among its current claims. How we verify.

Stage diagram

China mined an estimated 1.27 million tons of natural graphite in 2024 — roughly four-fifths of world production — and dominates downstream processing into battery-grade anode material. The United States mined none, was 100% net import reliant, and saw its first commercial spherical graphite production only in February 2024.

Materials at this stage: Natural graphite concentrate, Graphitizable carbon precursor

Facility-line flow trace

Facility / line	Location	Stage and derived state	Input → output
Anovion Bainbridge Synthetic Graphite Plant Synthetic graphite anode material plant (planned)	Bainbridge, Georgia United States	Graphitization Announced	Graphitizable carbon precursor → Synthetic anode material
Anovion Sanborn Synthetic Graphite Plant Synthetic graphite anode material production	Sanborn, New York United States	Graphitization Operating	Graphitizable carbon precursor → Synthetic anode material
Birla Carbon Orangeburg Synthetic Graphite Plant Continuous heat treatment graphitization (planned)	Orangeburg, South Carolina United States	Graphitization Financed	Graphitizable carbon precursor → Synthetic anode material
Graphite One Graphite Creek Project Graphite Creek mine and concentrator (planned)	Graphite Creek, north of Nome, Alaska United States	Mining & feedstock Announced	Graphite ore → Natural graphite concentrate
Kilbourne Graphite Purification Plant, Anniston Army Depot Kilbourne purification circuit, secondary site (conditionally leased)	Anniston, Alabama United States	Purification Announced	Natural graphite concentrate → Purified flake graphite
Kilbourne Graphite Purification Plant, Pine Bluff Arsenal Kilbourne purification circuit, primary site (conditionally leased)	Pine Bluff, Arkansas United States	Purification Announced	Natural graphite concentrate → Purified flake graphite
NOVONIX Enterprise South Synthetic Graphite Plant Synthetic graphite manufacturing (planned)	Chattanooga, Tennessee United States	Graphitization Announced	Graphitizable carbon precursor → Synthetic anode material
NOVONIX Riverside Synthetic Graphite Facility Continuous graphitization	Chattanooga, Tennessee United States	Graphitization Commissioned	Graphitizable carbon precursor → Synthetic anode material
Syrah Vidalia Active Anode Material Facility Purification circuit	Vidalia, Louisiana United States	Purification Operating	Natural graphite concentrate → Purified flake graphite
Urbix Muscle Shoals CSPG Facility First commercial CSPG module (announced)	Muscle Shoals, Alabama United States	Anode finishing Announced	Natural graphite concentrate → Coated spherical purified graphite (CSPG)
Westwater Kellyton Graphite Plant Phase I CSPG plant (under construction)	Kellyton, Alabama United States	Anode finishing Under construction	Natural graphite concentrate → Coated spherical purified graphite (CSPG)
Westwater Kellyton Graphite Plant R&D lab and CSPG qualification line	Kellyton, Alabama United States	Anode finishing Operating	Natural graphite concentrate → Coated spherical purified graphite (CSPG)
EcoGraf Battery Anode Material Facility, Western Australia HF-free battery anode material purification (not constructed)	Site not named in any source loaded 2026-08-12, Western Australia Australia	Purification Financed	Natural graphite concentrate → Uncoated spherical graphite
Graphinex Townsville Graphite-to-Anode Demonstration Facility Demonstration graphite purification	Townsville, Queensland Australia	Purification Operating	Natural graphite concentrate → Purified flake graphite
International Graphite Collie Micronising Facility Pilot micronising and qualification plant	Collie, Western Australia Australia	Particle processing Operating	Natural graphite concentrate → Natural graphite concentrate
International Graphite Collie Micronising Facility Commercial-scale micronising facility (funded, not yet built)	Collie, Western Australia Australia	Particle processing Financed	Natural graphite concentrate → Natural graphite concentrate
Renascor Purified Spherical Graphite Facility, Bolivar PSG demonstration plant (HF-free purification)	Bolivar, South Australia Australia	Purification Commissioned	Natural graphite concentrate → Uncoated spherical graphite
Renascor Purified Spherical Graphite Facility, Bolivar Commercial PSG facility purification (planned)	Bolivar, South Australia Australia	Purification Financed	Natural graphite concentrate → Purified flake graphite
Renascor Siviour Graphite Mine and Concentrator Siviour open-pit mine and flotation concentrator (planned)	Arno Bay, South Australia Australia	Mining & feedstock Financed	→ Natural graphite concentrate, Natural graphite concentrate
Lomiko Metals La Loutre Graphite Project Natural flake graphite project (pre-development)	La Loutre property, 180 km northwest of Montréal, Québec Canada	Mining & feedstock Announced	Graphite ore → Natural graphite concentrate
NMG Bécancour Battery Material Plant Purification unit (planned)	Bécancour, Québec Canada	Purification Announced	Natural graphite concentrate → Purified flake graphite
NMG Matawinie Graphite Mine Open-pit mine and concentrator	Saint-Michel-des-Saints, Québec Canada	Mining & feedstock Under construction	Graphite ore → Natural graphite concentrate
Northern Graphite Lac des Îles Mine Open-pit mine and concentrator	Lac-des-Îles, Québec Canada	Mining & feedstock Idled	Graphite ore → Natural graphite concentrate
Vianode Via TWO Synthetic Graphite Plant, St. Thomas Via TWO synthetic graphite production (planned)	St. Thomas, Ontario Canada	Graphitization Announced	Graphitizable carbon precursor → Synthetic anode material
UP Catalyst CO2Graphite Plant CO2Graphite molten-salt CO2-to-graphite line (early/pilot)	Maardu, Harju County Estonia	Graphitization Financed	Graphitizable carbon precursor → Synthetic anode material
Fortum Battery Recycling Harjavalta Hydrometallurgical Plant Closed-loop hydrometallurgical black-mass recycling	Harjavalta, Satakunta Finland	Recycling Operating	Blended anode material, Lithium-Ion Battery Black Mass → Natural graphite concentrate, Recycled Lithium-Bearing Process Solution
Hycamite Kokkola Methane-Pyrolysis Graphite Plant Methane-pyrolysis battery graphite line (Kokkola Industrial Park)	Kokkola, Central Ostrobothnia Finland	Graphitization Announced	Graphitizable carbon precursor → Synthetic anode material
NGC Battery Materials BAM Plant (France, site not stated in source) Graphite purification (planned)	— France	Purification Announced	Natural graphite concentrate → Uncoated spherical graphite
Orano Battery Recycling Pilots (Bessines-sur-Gartempe) EV battery pre-processing and hydrometallurgy pilots	Bessines-sur-Gartempe, Nouvelle-Aquitaine France	Recycling Commissioned	Blended anode material, Lithium-Ion Battery Black Mass → Natural graphite concentrate, Recycled Lithium-Bearing Process Solution
Tokai COBEX Savoie BAM4EVER Battery Anode Material Plant (Vénissieux) BAM4EVER (Phase I&II) battery anode material line	Vénissieux (30 rue Louis Jouvet, 69200), Département du Rhône, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes France	Particle processing Operating	Natural graphite concentrate → Synthetic anode material
Syrah Balama Graphite Operation Open-pit mine and flotation concentrator	Balama, Cabo Delgado Mozambique	Mining & feedstock Operating	Graphite ore → Natural graphite concentrate
NorGraph Active Anode Materials Plant (Eyde Material Park, Arendal) Planned graphite Active Anode Materials plant	Longum Nord, Eyde Material Park, Arendal, Agder Norway	Anode finishing Announced	Natural graphite concentrate → Coated spherical purified graphite (CSPG)
Vianode Via ONE Synthetic Anode Graphite Plant (Herøya) Via ONE synthetic anode graphite line	Porsgrunn (Herøya Industrial Park), Telemark Norway	Graphitization Operating	Graphitizable carbon precursor → Synthetic anode material
POSCO Future M Pohang Artificial Graphite Anode Plant Artificial graphite anode graphitization line	Pohang, Gyeongsangbuk-do South Korea	Graphitization Operating	Graphitizable carbon precursor, Graphitizable carbon precursor → Synthetic anode material
Talga Luleå Anode Refinery and EVA Qualification Plant EVA qualification pilot plant	Luleå, Norrbotten Sweden	Anode finishing Operating	Natural graphite concentrate → Coated spherical purified graphite (CSPG)
Talga Luleå Anode Refinery and EVA Qualification Plant Anode refinery purification (planned)	Luleå, Norrbotten Sweden	Purification Announced	Natural graphite concentrate → Purified flake graphite
Talga Nunasvaara South Graphite Mine (Vittangi) Nunasvaara South mine and on-site concentrator	Nunasvaara South, near Vittangi, Kiruna Municipality, Norrbotten Sweden	Mining & feedstock Permitted	Graphite ore → Natural graphite concentrate
Altilium ACT3 Black-Mass Refinery (Plymouth) ACT3 EcoCathode black-mass refining line	Plymouth, Devon United Kingdom	Recycling Financed	Blended anode material → Natural graphite concentrate

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; local copy verified at import; recheck on a weekly pass