Emerging graphite producer EcoGraf (ASX: EGR) has signed a co-operation agreement with European Investment Bank (EIB) for technical assistance to advance its vertically-integrated TanzGraphite business and patented hydrofluoric acid free (or HFfree) purification technology for use in the critical raw materials sector.
Under the terms, EIB will support the development of an expansion study for EcoGraf’s Epanko project and midstream mechanical shaping facility in Tanzania, as well as services aimed at enabling the integration of the project into the European Union’s battery anode value chain.
The assistance will be funded under EIB’s EU–OACPS (Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States) Technical Assistance Facility on Critical Raw Materials program.
The EU–OACPS program supports initiatives that contribute to the objectives critical raw materials strategies aligned with the European Union’s Critical Raw Materials Act.
Brussels Showcase Recognition
The new agreement follows EIB’s site visit to Tanzania in June and EcoGraf’s presentation of its vertically-integrated graphite developments at the EU Priority Projects Showcase in Brussels.
The company received positive recognition at the event of Epanko’s contribution to the establishment of long-term battery mineral supply chains for European industry.
EcoGraf recently applied for strategic project status under the Critical Raw Materials Act to cover its upstream and downstream developments in Tanzania.
The status is expected to reinforce its vision of contributing to the global transition towards a cleaner environment through its vertically-integrated battery anode materials business.
Epanko Expansion Study
The ++Epanko expansion study++ conducted late last year confirmed the project has the capacity to produce as much as 390,000 tonnes per annum of natural flake graphite through staged growth at the Epanko mine, driven by rising global battery anode demand from new global supply chains.
Production could be expanded to support the development of commercial-scale EcoGraf HFfree purification facilities across lithium-ion battery manufacturing hubs in Europe, North America and Asia.
HFfree is designed to be a highly-effective chemical process for the removal of impurities from natural graphite and carbon materials.
Studies have found it can cut operating costs by 34% over those produced by existing hydrofluoric acid methods used in China.
Mechanical Shaping Facility
EcoGraf has completed an engineering study for Stage 1 of a planned midstream mechanical shaping facility in the town of Ifakara, approximately 70 kilometres from Epanko, to value-add 20,000tpa of natural flake graphite into spherical graphite.
The mechanical micronising and shaping process is the first step in the conversion of high-quality flake graphite into battery-grade anode material for use in the production of lithium-ion batteries.
The design and layout will be based on extensive piloting and commercial scale testing programs that demonstrated an Epanko yield in excess of 60%.
