A Definitive agreement to manufacture battery-grade graphite products at commercial scale has been reached between a major minerals processing company and a heating equipment supplier, both based in New York.

Great Lakes Graphite and Ashland Advanced Materials drafted the definitive agreement earlier in this quarter under which Ashland will provide Great Lakes with up to 10,000 tons per year of graphite purification capacity in the initial start-up phase. A requirement to scale up further, to 50,000 tons per year of graphite purification capacity, is anticipated for the subsequent phase. Further, Great Lakes Graphite and Graphene Laboratories executed a distribution agreement at the end of November which will boost the availability of high-quality carbon products to customers.

Along with product, process, and technology development efforts geared towards preparing for large-scale manufacture of advanced carbon materials, Great Lakes is partnering with Ashland Advanced Materials in the development of a continuous furnace design that will significantly increase the efficiency of the purification process. Ashland brings over thirty years of expertise in the thermal purification of graphite to this effort.

Great Lakes Graphite reports that it has conveyed the updated anticipated requirements to their Brazilian supply partner to ensure there will be adequate capacity along the supply chain to achieve targeted manufacturing levels.

Micronized graphite products are used by customers in a wide variety of industries for a wide variety of applications that include composite materials, electronics, batteries, lubricants, coatings and friction products.

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