TORONTO, Nov. 02, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Great Lakes Graphite Inc. (“GLK”, “Great Lakes” or the “Company”) (GLK.V) (OTC PINK:GLKIF) (FWB:8GL) today announces that the Company has drafted a definitive agreement to manufacture battery-grade graphite products at commercial scale. The Company expects the agreement to be executed by the end of November.

Highlights:

• Ashland Advanced Materials (“Ashland”) and Great Lakes Graphite (referred to collectively as the “Partners”) with up to 10,000 tons per year of graphite purification capacity, with a long-term capacity goal of 50,000 TPA.
• The partners are developing a CSPG Megafactory concept which include consolidation of the processes required to manufacture CSPG in a single location.
• Over five hundred pounds of high purity graphite were purified during ongoing development work and are now available for further product qualification efforts.
• Multiple CSPG-related development efforts are underway with various partners

Great Lakes Graphite and Ashland Advanced Materials have drafted a definitive agreement

Great Lakes Graphite and Ashland Advanced Materials have drafted a definitive agreement under which Ashland will provide GLK 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. Great Lakes Graphite has conveyed the updated anticipated requirements to their Brazilian supply partner to insure there will be adequate capacity along the supply chain to achieve targeted manufacturing levels.

CSPG Megafactory concept is under development

Lithium-ion battery anodes require graphite that has been processed in a number of ways and is referred to as CSPG, or Coated Spherical Purified Graphite. These processes include micronization, spheronization, purification and coating. The partners are developing a CSPG Megafactory concept which includes the consolidation of all the required processing activities in a single location, with the capacity to accommodate manufacturing at a commercial industrial scale, or 10,000 tons and above per year.

Currently Great Lakes Graphite works with partners to perform these activities on a tolling basis. Creating an infrastructure to consolidate these processes in a single location and under direct control of the Company is anticipated to create improved manufacturing efficiencies. Great Lakes Graphite and Ashland are engaged in ongoing planning and engineering efforts to identify how these additional processes will be accommodated within the existing Ashland facility.

Manufacture of additional product inventory supports ongoing product qualification efforts

As part of the ongoing product development and product qualification efforts, over five hundred pounds of high purity graphite were produced at the Ashland facility at Niagara Falls and are now available for further product qualification efforts. These efforts included the manufacture of 11 kilograms of ultra high purity spherical graphite that was purified to a of level of 99.99% achieved.

Three key CSPG-related development efforts are underway

The Company is engaged in multiple product, process and technology development efforts that are geared towards preparing for large scale manufacture of advanced carbon materials. One such effort involves work with Ashland Advanced Materials on the development of a continuous furnace design that will significantly increase the efficiency of the purification process. Ashland bring over thirty years of expertise in the thermal purification of graphite to this effort.

Currently, the bulk of commercial spheronization of graphite particles for the battery industry is performed in Asia. Great Lakes Graphite is working with North American-based manufacturers of milling equipment on identifying equipment and processing technologies that are capable of producing material to the industry standard with a goal of improving yields beyond what is generally available today.

Manufacture of battery grade graphite for lithium-ion batteries also requires the ability to coat graphite particles to mitigate surface defects and thereby deliver improved electrochemical performance. Great Lakes Graphite has begun development work with a US-based company that has developed advanced capabilities for high-precision particle coating that employs a method that works at the atomic layer. Discussions are underway to identify commercial opportunities.

New York State’s many resources for battery innovation, manufacturing and small businesses

As the Company prepares for expanding operations in the State of New York, a number of resources have been of invaluable assistance. The Rochester area, less than a hundred miles from Niagara Falls, is home to the Battery Test & Commercialization Center, located at Eastman Business Park and the Battery Prototyping Center, located at Rochester Institute of Technology.