Conventional recycling methods often result in graphite being burned or lost to waste streams due to the use of strong acids, preventing its efficient recovery. However, Tozero’s process achieves more than 80% graphite recovery while preserving its morphological integrity on an industrial scale. This breakthrough enables the material to be refined back to battery-grade quality.
Currently, 98% of Europe’s graphite is imported, with China controlling over 90% of global supply, leaving battery manufacturers vulnerable to trade restrictions and supply chain disruptions. Looking into 2030, almost 800,000 metric tonnes of graphite supply gap worldwide remains to be filled. In addition, graphite alone accounts for up to 40% of a battery’s total carbon footprint, with natural graphite mining remaining environmentally costly, contributing to deforestation, water contamination, and high carbon emissions. However, this presents a strategic opportunity to shift toward sustainable, locally sourced, and circular solutions.
To address these challenges, battery, and car manufacturers are increasingly turning to recycled graphite—not just for supply chain resilience, but also to comply with new regulations like the EU Battery Directive, European Critical Raw Material Act, and meet their net-zero targets. This makes scaling high-quality, battery-grade recycled graphite essential to reducing dependency on imports, cutting emissions, and securing a stable, circular supply chain for the future of clean energy.
