Reflex Advanced Materials finds high grade purity in graphitic carbon
by CM Staff
This purity level also positions the material well for energy storage applications and for the nuclear industry.
Reflex Advanced Materials finds high grade purity in graphitic carbon
VANCOUVER — Reflex Advanced Materials Corp. announces that purities of 99.999% graphitic carbon have been obtained from preliminary metallurgical studies testing the purification of the graphite material sourced from the Company’s Ruby Graphite Project located near Dillon Montana, USA.
Graphite concentrations of 99.999% Cg purity were achieved using a conventional thermal purification process. This indicates that commercial scale purification costs will be significantly lower because only basic thermal purification tactics would be employed. Based on the preliminary results, floatation circuits and other waste material removal processes are not needed to achieve 99.999% pure Cg from Ruby sourced graphite.
Paul Gorman, CEO of Reflex Advanced Materials Corp. commented, “Today marks another major milestone for Reflex. The achievement of 99.999% Cg from purification testing – without any optimization – only reaffirms our belief in the exceptional quality of the graphite material hosted on our Ruby property. These high-purity levels are required for graphite used in many high-value applications, namely Lithium-ion batteries for use in electric vehicles and grid storage/stationary batteries, but also in portable electronic applications, which represent a significant and growing market with sustained future demand.”
For the electric vehicle battery anode market, of which graphite is the key and essential component, a standard minimum purity level is 99.95%, so achieving 99.999% purity, especially with only thermal purification processes indicates the quality of the Ruby Graphite material. This purity level also positions the material well for energy storage applications and for the nuclear industry.
The trials were based on a total product mix and were carried out across the total flake-size distribution (including, large-, medium- and fine-flake size fractions), in order to achieve a full-spectrum sampling of the Ruby Graphite Project’s graphitic material and its demonstrated purity.
Earlier this year, Reflex announced its partnership with one of North America’s premier critical mineral metallurgical laboratories, American Energy Technology Company (AETC) to conduct a complete analysis of the quality and viability of graphite material sourced from the past producing Ruby Graphite project (operated as the Crystal Graphite Mine from 1900-1916 and then 1942-1948).
Reflex and its metallurgical partner will now move forward with larger scale testing designed to optimize the purification process and further improve these excellent results. AETC have now begun sizing (micronization), shaping (spheronization) and carbon coating the Ruby graphite concentrate – known as coated spherical natural graphite or CSPG to meet the requirements for use in Li-ion batteries, specifically for electric vehicles.
