China restricts battery graphite exports

China’s commerce ministry has put the world’s battery industry on notice by restricting the export of some graphite materials that are used to make anodes for lithium-ion batteries. The move is calling attention to China’s dominance of the market and providing a push to establish graphite processing outside the country. Graphite anodes can be produced from synthetic graphite—made by heating petroleum coke—or from mined graphite flakes. Graphite flakes must be milled into spherical particles and then coated with carbon. Both forms are mixed with binders to create a battery anode . Starting in December, companies in China will have to get permission to export some forms of natural and synthetic graphite materials that are used to make anodes. Over 60% of the world’s mined graphite and nearly half of synthetic graphite is produced in China, according to the US Geological Survey. The country also dominates processing steps further down the