CSIRO Collaboration: Graphite recovery and purification

Cobalt Blue is participating in a co-development program with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO).

Under the program, Cobalt Blue is developing a process to recover graphite from battery black mass. CSIRO has developed methods to purify graphite-rich residues to obtain battery-grade graphite, which will be applied and optimised to the Cobalt Blue residue. The program is focused on selective recovery of graphite by flotation. The flotation method is being tested on (1) thermally treated black mass, and (2) the final residues after leaching the head black mass using the Cobalt Blue process.

CSIRO’s Graphite Research and Development Grant is supported by the Australian Government and designed to provide Australian companies with funding and access to CSIRO expertise to support collaborative R&D projects. Selected projects focus on the development of innovative technologies and processes to produce natural and synthetic graphite, particularly for battery applications.

Testwork activities undertaken by staff at the BHTC

 Graphite-rich concentrate recovered by flotation from battery black-mass leach residue (top), and the remaining gypsum-bearing flotation tailings (bottom).

Column with dark froth formation as top layer