Commodity Focus: Graphite
BY ELIZABETH FABRI LITHIUM has been the poster child for the booming battery metals market. However, what many may not know is the anodes in lithium-ion batteries contain far more graphite than they do lithium, with analysts of the view it’s just a matter of time before demand takes off. Graphite demand and prices are about to skyrocket. According to Roskill, the market will soon see a rapid period of growth driven by – you guessed it – the rising lithium-ion battery industry. Graphite itself can come in two forms; natural graphite which is mined and processed, and synthetic graphite which is made from petroleum coke. Then there’s graphene; an allotrope form of carbon comprising one atomic layer of graphite arranged…