"Developing Natural Graphite Anode Materials from Methane Gas"... POSCO Future M Partners with U.S. Firm Molten

[Financial News] POSCO Future M is joining forces with U.S. graphite manufacturer Molten Industries to develop natural graphite anode materials using feedstock that does not come from mined ore.
POSCO Future M announced on the 19th that it had signed an MOU with Molten Industries on the 11th at COEX in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, for the joint development of natural graphite anode material feedstock using methane gas. Molten Industries, headquartered in the State of California, is the only company in the world capable of producing graphite by thermally decomposing methane gas. The signing ceremony was attended by Hong Young-jun, head of POSCO Future M's research center, Kevin Bush, chief executive officer (CEO) of Molten, and Caleb Boyd, CTO of Molten.
Under the agreement, Molten will produce graphite by thermally decomposing methane gas, and POSCO Future M will process this material into spherical graphite through its subsidiary FutureGraph before producing natural graphite anode materials at its Sejong plant. Graphite produced from methane gas contains fewer metallic impurities than graphite mined from ore. As a result, the refining process can be streamlined, significantly reducing the production cost of natural graphite anode materials.
In addition, the hydrogen generated alongside graphite during the thermal decomposition of methane can be used to produce electricity or supplied to POSCO's hydrogen reduction steelmaking process, creating potential synergies at the POSCO Group level.
Hong said, "Until now, we have relied on graphite mined from ore, but by combining the two companies' technologies in raw materials and materials, we will secure key feedstock in a new way." He added, "We expect not only to diversify our raw material supply chain but also to strengthen our differentiated competitiveness in the global market through cost reductions."
Meanwhile, POSCO Future M is internalizing its anode material raw material supply chain by leveraging the capabilities of POSCO Group. For natural graphite anode materials, the company plans to establish a supply chain in which graphite ore is secured from Africa and other regions through POSCO Group and then processed into spherical graphite by its subsidiary FutureGraph. For artificial graphite anode materials, it is using coal-based and petroleum-based cokes derived from coal tar generated in POSCO's steelmaking processes as raw materials.
eastcold@fnnews.com Reporter Kim Dong-chan Reporter