The South Korean battery materials manufacturer POSCO Future M has entered into a partnership with the U.S. company Molten. The goal is to develop a natural graphite anode material using methane gas.
As part of the agreement, Molten will produce the graphite via methane pyrolysis. POSCO Future M will then further process the material through its subsidiary, FutureGraph, before manufacturing the final product at a plant in Sejong. Using this approach, the companies will not rely on conventionally mined graphite. Molten claims to be the only company capable of producing graphite through methane pyrolysis.
Alternative Raw Material Base for Anode Material
Graphite derived from methane reportedly contains fewer metallic impurities than mined material. This could reduce the effort required for subsequent purification steps. The company claims that this results in potential cost advantages in the production of anode materials.
Another benefit is the production of hydrogen as a byproduct of methane pyrolysis. The POSCO Group is exploring ways to reuse this hydrogen. Possible applications include power generation and hydrogen-based steel manufacturing processes. The parties involved did not announce any specific timelines for pilot projects or industrial implementation.
