International Graphite Ltd has received strong validation of the quality of graphite from its flagship Springdale Project in Western Australia after world-leading commodity trader Marubeni Corporation confirmed it can achieve battery-grade specifications.
The leading Japanese chemical processing specialists contracted by Marubeni were able to purify Springdale graphite concentrated from drilling and bulk concentrate extraction to a purity of 99.95%, exceeding the requirements for lithium-ion battery anodes.
IG6 has been collaborating with Marubeni under a non-binding memorandum of understanding for the potential supply of spheroidised graphite from Springdale and potential financial support for International Graphite’s mine-to-market strategy.
Addressing gigafactory graphite demands
“Partnering with a highly respected market leader like Marubeni, which is a major investor and trader in world commodity markets, gives us great confidence in our assets and development strategy,” International Graphite managing director and CEO Andrew Worland said.
“Japanese firms have made enormous commitments to developing battery gigafactory capacity worldwide and need new sources of graphite to meet these commitments.
“We offer the market a new supply of quality material with all the benefits of Australian security and reliability.
“Marubeni is one of the strategic partners we are engaging with to tailor our future operations to best meet market demands.”
While there is no guarantee IG6’s ongoing collaboration with Marubeni will lead to definitive binding agreements, representatives from the Japanese company’s Business Development team in the Metals and Mineral Resources division recently toured IG6’s facilities.
International Graphite holds the second largest graphite deposit in Australia in the form of the Springdale Project, which the company intends to develop as the feedstock for its mine-to-market battery anode production strategy, leveraging its Collie Graphite Processing and R&D Facility.