Graphite (or crystalline carbon) is the dominant anode material used in the manufacturing of lithium-ion batteries and is both naturally mined and produced synthetically. In 2021, China exported nearly 200,000 tons of natural graphite, by far the largest single exporter of the material with Germany a distant second exporting just 17,000 tons. Interestingly, Turkey is considered to have the most significant reserves of the material despite exporting just 2,500 tons of natural graphite in 2021. Natural graphite is the preferred feedstock for graphite anodes in terms of specification, as it results in higher capacity batteries and is cheaper than its synthetic counterpart, but synthetic anodes perform better when considering deterioration, charging speeds and electrolyte compatibility. It’s arguably the case that…