The United States faces two unique challenges: a struggling domestic forestry industry and a shortage of crucial materials for the electric vehicle (EV) industry, specifically batteries.
The United States reportedly exported hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of wood chips in 2023. Wood chips are a valuable resource, but they continue to leave the country.
For EV battery production, 95% of the global supply of a crucial material is sourced from China. Graphite can make up 42% of an EV battery’s weight.
These challenges, however, present a unique opportunity for innovative solutions from the sustainable technology company CarbonScape.
Wood Chips Are Turned Into Critical Material For EV Batteries
Researchers from CarbonScape say they “cracked the code” by turning wood chips into a critical material. They say wood chips could be turned into graphite for lithium-ion batteries.
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Researchers lay the blueprint for a circular economy by converting carbon naturally captured by trees into materials crucial to powering clean transportation.
This breakthrough process establishes a circular economy, converting carbon naturally captured by trees into materials that power clean transportation. “By localizing a cost-competitive graphite supply in the U.S. using local forestry resources, we provide manufacturers with a stable, scalable, and sustainable alternative,” said Vincent Ledoux-Pedailles, CarbonScape’s Chief Commercial Officer. “While mitigating environmental impact and supply-chain risks.”
The company’s proprietary technology reportedly offers four key advantages over traditional graphite production.
According to the press release, reduced feedstock and energy requirements provide low costs. Additionally, production can be localized, which shortens supply chains and creates jobs. Researchers say it co-locates manufacturing plants with existing forestry hubs. They also highlighted its high performance by combining the best characteristics of synthetic and mined graphite.
Furthermore, its sustainable feedstock utilizes renewable wood chips to promote a near-zero carbon footprint.
CarbonScape’s technology has the potential to revitalize forestry communities by converting wood chips into high-demand battery materials. The company expects to create skilled jobs and a circular supply chain in the U.S. using renewable resources that avoid toxic chemicals.
Ultimately, the technology paves a path to transforming vulnerabilities into a powerful strength.
