The factory in Torsboda will need raw materials, probably in the form of copper and silicon. Artificial graphite will be made from some form of organic material that has a high carbon content.
Unknown raw material
It is not known what the Chinese company PTL will use in its process, but access to the raw material is hardly a problem. Organic material is, for example, a residual product in the forest industry.
The process means that the organic material is heated up to 2500 degrees, which requires electricity but is considered more environmentally friendly than mining graphite in mines.
“Not environmentally dangerous”
Generally speaking, the manufacturing process in the factory in Torsboda does not have such a high environmental impact, according to Hans-Erik Nilsson, professor of electronics design at Mittuniversitetet.
– The graphite part is a very clean part of a battery, while the other part of the battery, which includes lithium and cobalt oxide, is more difficult when it comes to contamination, he explains.
In the video, Hans-Erik Nilsson describes what the process in Torsboda might look like.