Northern Graphite launches graphite R&D program

Executive Summary

• Northern Graphite Corp. has launched the USE-G program, a three-year R&D initiative focused on developing environmentally friendly and safe graphite extraction and processing technologies for Europe's battery industry.
• The project is largely financed by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, which is contributing €1.14 million toward a total budget of €1.70 million.
• The initiative aims to reduce Europe's dependence on Chinese supply chains by establishing a fully European processing route for natural and recycled graphite, including purification without hydrofluoric acid and sustainable coating processes.

Key Details

• Project Name: USE-G (environmentally friendly and safe graphite extraction for Europe's battery industry).
• Duration: January 1, 2026, to December 31, 2029.
• Partners:
  • Northern Graphite Corp. (Lead partner; supplies natural graphite from Canada and Namibia; conducts milling, shaping, and final battery testing in Germany).
  • Rain Carbon Germany GmbH (Develops sustainable carbon coating materials).
  • H.C. Starck Tungsten GmbH (Provides technology to extract graphite from battery "black mass" for recycling).
  • Friedrich Schiller University Jena (Leads development of novel chlorine-gas purification method).
• Funding:
  • Total Project Budget: €1.70 million.
  • German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy Contribution: €1.14 million.
• Technical Objectives:
  • Develop a purification method using chlorine gas, which is cleaner than hydrofluoric acid and less energy-intensive than high-temperature thermal purification.
  • Create safer and more sustainable coating materials as alternatives to coal tar.
  • Recover and reuse graphite from black mass generated during battery recycling.
  • Establish baseline performance and purity levels for natural and recycled graphite separately, then evaluate blending them into a unified anode material.
  • Demonstrate a complete, European-controlled graphite processing flow sheet (purification, coating, shaping, recycling, and performance testing).
• Supply Chain Context:
  • Europe is currently almost entirely dependent on China for graphite purification, coating, and shaping technologies.
  • Graphite represents up to 40% of active materials in typical lithium-ion battery anodes.
• Northern Graphite's Role:
  • Supply natural graphite certified for battery applications from its Lac des Iles mine in Quebec and the Okanjande mine in Namibia (currently on care and maintenance).
  • Conduct lab work in Frankfurt, Germany, including milling, shaping, and final battery testing.

Notable Quotes

• Hugues Jacquemin, CEO, Northern Graphite: "Europe's energy transition depends on secure, sustainable and independent graphite supply chains. USE-G brings together the best of European research and industrial capability to develop technology that is cleaner, less energy-intensive and grounded in circular-economy principles. For Northern Graphite, this project demonstrates how the natural graphite we produce in Canada and Namibia can be transformed in Europe into next-generation battery materials."
• Alexander Zeugner, Project Manager, H.C. Starck Tungsten: "Although graphite accounts for a substantial share of battery black mass, it has scarcely been reused to date. The USE-G research project, which builds largely on our proprietary black-mass recycling process, aims to close that gap. If successful, it would make a significant contribution to establishing a true circular economy for lithium-ion batteries in Europe."
• Dr. Martin Oschatz, Professor, Friedrich Schiller University Jena: "Our focus is to explore chlorine-gas purification at elevated temperatures as a cleaner alternative to hydrofluoric acid and a less energy-intensive option than thermal purification. This research may enable Europe to adopt new purification routes that improve environmental performance without compromising material quality."