GreenRoc Strategic Materials (AIM:GROC) has completed the construction, commissioning, and initial operational testing of a graphite anode mill circuit at its Active Anode Materials Pilot Plant in Denmark.
The mill circuit, featuring micronisation and spheronisation lines, is designed to produce spherical graphite for the pilot plant. The full graphite mill line has a processing capacity of 100kg of feedstock per day, yielding both main and fine-grained products.
Initial test runs were considered ‘successful’, with all equipment running smoothly. The mills are expected to be ready for test production to produce spherical graphite honouring the battery industry’s requirements and for further calibrating and optimising of the controls.
The products from the initial run are being evaluated at GreenRoc’s in-house laboratory facilities, hosting both Malvern laser particles and tap-density analysers, which will be supplemented using scanning electron microscopy imaging facility at the Technical University of Denmark.
CEO Stefan Bernstein says the company believes this will be Europe’s first natural flake graphite pilot plant, marking a milestone in its journey to supply high-quality spherical purified graphite to European customers.
“The smooth commissioning and operation of the mills, a process which has taken less than two months, is a testament to the dedication and expertise of GreenRoc’s pilot plant team,” Bernstein says.
“We look forward to optimising pilot production and advancing towards commercial product quality.”
Graphite production
GreenRoc is building the pilot processing plant to produce spherical purified graphite, a precursor material to active anode material, from graphite concentrate produced at the company’s planned graphite mine in Amitsoq in South Greenland.
Graphite is used in nearly everything, from pencil to machinery lubricants to car brakes and, more modernly, in electronic devices.
As Mining.com.au reported, in 2024, graphite’s global production reached 1.6 million tonnes, representing a 4% increase from the previous year. The global production was driven by China – producing 1.27 million tonnes and accounting for 79.4% of the total production.
China’s grasp over the broader battery anode sector is strengthened by the country’s processing output of around 95% of the world’s battery anode materials.
Pressing climate change urges and a global shift to sustainable emission outputs only drive the demand for battery-grade graphite higher for its use in lithium-ion batteries.
GreenRoc Strategic Materials is focused on developing the Amitsoq Graphite Project in Greenland into a producing mine to meet critical demand from electric vehicle manufacturers in Europe and North America.
Write to Aaliyah Rogan at Mining.com.au
Images: GreenRoc Strategic Materials
