Second TRANSFORMATION
Value Added Project
VALUE-ADDED PRODUCTS (VAP)
The second transformation offers a multitude of possibilities
TYPICAL APPLICATIONS FOR VALUE-ADDED PRODUCTS
- Metallic powders and alloys
- Alkaline batteries
- Li-ion batteries
- Fuel cells
- Flow batteries
- Carbon brushes
- Flame retardants
- Brake pads and clutch facings
- Insulation
- Plastics, resins, and rubbers
- Catalysts
- Fabrics and fibres
- Pencils
- Lubricants
- Paints
SPHERICAL GRAPHITE FOR Li-iON BATTERIES
A Brief History
- Corporate vision combining 1st and 2nd transformation already in 2012.
- Project started in 2015.
- Products and processes developed with expert partners: NRC | COREM | Centre de technologie minéraleet de plasturgie (CTMP) | CTTÉI | Dundee Sustainable Technologies | LiBTec.
- Acquisition and installation of pilot equipment + first pilot campaign in 2019.
- Completion of cycling tests in three independent laboratories on the pilot product.
Highlight
Proven performance in commercial-grade Li-ion batteries.
Industrial approach: 4 years of development | +$5M investment | A pilot plant.
COATED SPHERICAL GRAPHITE FOR Li-iON
Lac Guéret project to feed the required concentrate for Value Added Products (VAP)
The VAP plant will be directly fed from Mason Graphite’s own concentrate; this concentrate will be transformed into a multitude of products*.
Mason Graphite’s ambition is to become a fully integrated graphite producer.
Technical and economic study (2020)
High-level | Accuracy of -20%/+30.
Excellent results.
Feasibility study to follow.
DEVELOPMENT PROCESS
An industrial approach
Comparative Analysis
Validation protocols
Identification of market needs
Transformation
Product design
Product characterization
Pilot program
Production and testing of battery materials on a kg scale
Final Testing Period
Performance tests
Lifespan tests
- Many operating piloting operations for Li-ion battery products launched since 2019
Industrialization
Detail engineering
Construction
Production
Development in phases
The design of a generic grade for traditional Li-ion batteries as well as a grade for electric vehicles is based on information (customer specifications) collected by Mason Graphite and National Resources Council of Canada. The design of a graphite-silicon anode material is done in partnership with CNRC.
HIGH-PERFORMANCE SPHERICAL GRAPHITE
Battery test results from a pilot batch of spherical graphite for Li-ion (VAP) batteries are positive.
- The product proposed by Mason Graphite has physicochemical and electrochemical values similar to the commercial products currently available on the market.
Typical physiochemical properties
PSD
Purity
(%C)
BET Surface
Tapped Density
Mason Graphite Product
18-20
>99.95
~3.0
>1.1
Electrochemical Testing
Spherical graphite produced at pilot scale from Lac Guéret successfully tested, reaching 1,000 cycles while retaining 80.6% of the initial capacity (see press release dated June 7th, 2021).
The cycling tests were performed under the following conditions:
- Complete prototype pouch cells, assembled and tested at NRC;
- Cathode: NMC532 type;
- Cycling rate: C/3, meaning 3 hours to charge and 3 hours to discharge (hence about 4 full cycles per day);
- Capacity retention calculated on the discharge capacity, with respect to the first cycle.
