UK-CSi: Feasibility study for establishing graphite-silicon refining plant in UK

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Silicon offers a significant energy density advantage over conventional LIB anode materials such as graphite. Si has a theoretical specific capacity of 3600 mAh/g corresponding to the formation of Li15Si4 phase which is substantially larger than that of graphite 371 mAh/g. However, silicon suffers from swelling and is therefore combined with graphite or some form of carbon to control this effect.Use of Silicon in energy storage applications will inevitably face a stiff competition from semiconductor, solar and aluminium alloy industries given these established markets consume \>70% of Silicon metal (Mordor Intelligence, 2020). Further, China is world's largest producer of silicon with a production volume of 5.4 metric ton in 2020 out of a total world production volume of 8.5 metric tons. Finding an alternative source of silicon for its use in battery is therefore important to secure future material supply chains.Talga is all set to establish one of the largest anode manufacturing plants in EU and outside China. Talga's natural graphite mineral resource assets in Sweden are the highest-grade graphite resource in the world (JORC). Talga has carried out promising studies using its graphite ore feed to produce in-situ silicon-graphite composite anode material Talnode-CSi resulting in superior performance compared to commercial graphite materials.This project will look to develop a business case based on feasibility of setting up a downstream graphite-silicon refining plant. This will not only provide a competitive edge to Talga and UK EV market but also drastically reduce their dependencies on sourcing silicon for next generation anode materials from other sources.