Northern Graphite Joins German-Backed Consortium to Develop Low-Impact Battery Graphite Processing

A European research consortium led by Northern Graphite has begun a multi-year effort to develop cleaner, domestically controlled graphite processing technologies for electric vehicle batteries, a move aimed at reducing Europe’s heavy reliance on China for a critical battery material, according to the company reporting.

The initiative, known as USE-G, is supported primarily by funding from Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, which has committed €1.14 million to the €1.70 million program. Graphite accounts for up to 40 percent of the active material in lithium-ion battery anodes, yet Europe currently depends almost entirely on Asian supply chains for purification and upgrading, a vulnerability that policymakers and manufacturers have increasingly flagged.

Europe has spent the past decade trying to localize battery materials production, but progress on graphite has lagged behind lithium, nickel and cobalt. Analysts say this is partly because graphite processing is energy-intensive and environmentally challenging, particularly when hydrofluoric acid is used for purification. Recent EU critical raw materials strategies have identified graphite as a priority material, citing supply risks and rising demand tied to electric vehicle growth.

According to reports, USE-G brings together Northern Graphite, Rain Carbon Germany, H.C. Starck Tungsten and Friedrich Schiller University Jena to develop an integrated processing route within Germany. The program focuses on three areas: purifying natural graphite without hydrofluoric acid, creating lower-impact carbon coating materials, and recovering graphite from battery recycling streams that are typically lost during conventional processing.

Northern Graphite will supply natural graphite from its producing mine in Canada and, subject to restart, its Namibian operation, both of which produce material suitable for battery use. The company will also conduct milling, shaping and electrochemical testing at its German laboratory. H.C. Starck Tungsten will apply its proprietary technology to extract graphite from the black mass generated when spent lithium-ion batteries are recycled, allowing the material to be reprocessed instead of destroyed.

Researchers at Friedrich Schiller University Jena will lead work on a chlorine-based purification process conducted at elevated temperatures. Observers note that while chlorine purification is established in other industrial applications, it has not been systematically evaluated for battery graphite, particularly for recycled material. Rain Carbon Germany will then develop alternative carbon coating materials derived from feedstocks viewed as more sustainable than traditional coal-tar inputs.

Industry groups argue that combining recycled and natural graphite could improve supply security while lowering the environmental footprint of battery anodes. Later stages of the project will test whether blended materials can meet performance requirements for commercial battery qualification, a key hurdle for European automakers.

Executives involved in the project said the collaboration reflects growing pressure to align battery supply chains with climate and industrial policy goals. Analysts say success would not immediately displace Asian suppliers but could provide European manufacturers with a viable secondary source as demand accelerates later this decade.

According to reports, the project began in January 2026 and is scheduled to run through the end of 2029. By its conclusion, the partners aim to demonstrate a fully European graphite processing pathway spanning purification, coating, shaping, recycling and performance testing, laying groundwork for future industrial-scale investment.

Source: Northern Graphite

SUNSHINE Spotlight: The USE-G project marks a coordinated attempt to close one of Europe’s most persistent battery supply gaps by developing cleaner, locally controlled graphite processing and recycling technologies.