Greater Noida: Northern Graphite Corporation (NGC:TSX-V, NGPHF:OTCQB, FRA:0NG, XSTU:0NG) (“Northern”)
and partners Rain Carbon Germany GmbH (“Rain”), H.C. Starck Tungsten GmbH and Friedrich Schiller University Jena
are pleased to announce the launch of USE-G: Environmentally Friendly and Safe Graphite Extraction for Europe’s
Battery Industry, a three-year research and development program funded largely by the German Federal Ministry
for Economic Affairs and Energy.
The initiative is designed to develop new graphite processing technologies that are cleaner, less energy intensive,
and fully independent of Chinese supply chains. The Ministry is contributing €1.14 million toward the total project
budget of €1.70 million.
Graphite is an essential component of lithium-ion batteries, representing as much as forty percent of the active
materials in a typical anode. Today, however, Europe remains almost entirely dependent on China for the purification, coating and shaping technologies required to transform graphite into battery-grade material. USE-G aims to change that by advancing a fully European processing route that includes the purification of natural graphite without the use of hydrofluoric acid, the development of safer and more sustainable coating materials, and the recovery and reuse of graphite from the black mass generated during battery recycling.
Under the terms of the program, Northern Graphite will supply the natural graphite required for the project from its
producing mine in Canada and, subject to restart, its mine in Namibia, which is currently on care and maintenance,
both of which produce graphite certified as suitable for battery applications. At its lab in Germany, Northern Graphite will undertake milling and shaping of the graphite, as well as final battery testing of the processed materials. In parallel, H.C. Starck Tungsten will provide its innovative technology to extract graphite from the black mass of spent lithium-ion batteries, enabling this material that is normally destroyed in conventional recycling processes to be purified, coated and returned to the supply chain.
Friedrich Schiller University Jena will lead the development of a novel purification method using chlorine gas, which
is significantly cleaner than conventional hydrofluoric acid treatment and less energy intensive than the high temperature thermal purification used in parts of the industry today. Although chlorine-based purification has been
proven in other applications, its use for graphite has not yet been fully explored. USE-G will provide the first
systematic evaluation of this technique for both natural and recycled graphite streams. Purified, the materials will be
sent to Rain, which will develop new carbon coating materials and related sustainable coating processes from carbon raw materials that are improved alternatives to traditionally used coal tar regarding future availability and
environmental impact.
Over the course of the project, natural and recycled graphite will first be processed separately in order to establish
baseline performance and purity levels. Later in the program, the partners will evaluate the potential for blending
recycled and natural graphite into a unified anode material, with the goal of creating a next-generation European
product suitable for commercial qualification by battery manufacturers. All work will be carried out within Germany
at the facilities of the respective partners, with shipments of natural graphite supplied from Northern Graphite’s
operations abroad.
Announcing the launch of USE-G, Northern Chief Executive Officer Hugues Jacquemin said: “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.”
Rain’s role in the USE-G project is to develop sustainable coating materials and related processes used to coat the
graphite particle surface with a thin layer of carbon that improves the electrochemical performance of the graphite
anode material, while both reducing the environmental impact of the battery material manufacturing process and
contributing to build a more sustainable and resilient European battery ecosystem.
Alexander Zeugner, Project Manager Technology & Innovation Global at H.C. Starck Tungsten GmbH, noted: “Although graphite accounts for a substantial share of battery black mass, it has scarcely been re-used 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 at the Center for Energy and Environmental Chemistry at Friedrich Schiller University
Jena stated: “Our focus is to explore chlorine-gas purification at elevated temperatures as a cleaner alternative to
hydrofluoric acid and a less energy-intensive op on than thermal purification. This research may enable Europe to
adopt new purification routes that improve environmental performance without compromising material quality.”
USE-G began January 1, 2026 and will run through December 31, 2029. By the end of the program, the partnerstiaim
to have demonstrated a complete, European-controlled graphite processing flow sheet – spanning purification,
coating, shaping, recycling and performance testing – that supports the continent’s energy-transition goals and its
long-term ambition to secure independent, environmentally responsible supply chains for critical battery materials.
