CarbonScape to build a biographite co-working space in Sunila
17.09.2024 | CarbonScape, a pioneer in sustainable battery materials, is making the leap towards commercial operations by choosing the Sunila factory site in Kotka as the location for a pilot plant for biographite production. CarbonScape is building a European supply chain for battery materials independent of traditional sources. The experience gained from the pilot plant will also serve the company’s global expansion.
The Sunila site is owned by Stora Enso, a leading global producer of renewable materials and a minority shareholder in CarbonScape. Stora Enso leases part of the Sunila site for use by CarbonScape.
CarbonScape is currently carrying out a technical design study for its first pilot plant and at the same time its first production plant. The aim is to start construction of the plant next year and sample production in 2026.
The battery revolution
New Zealand-based bioeconomy company CarbonScape has developed a low-cost, carbon-negative biogrid that can be processed from woody biomass.The revolutionary material is designed to replace the mined or fossil synthetic graphite used in lithium-ion batteries. The material addresses the supply chain and sustainability challenges of the rapidly growing electric vehicle market and energy storage.
Ivan Williams, CEO of CarbonScape comments: “Our partnership with Stora Enso and the decision to locate the pilot plant in Sunila underline the global potential of our technology.By producing a biograft from sustainable forest industry by-products, we are not only creating a new supply chain, but redefining the boundaries of what is possible with battery technology.”
A strategic partnership for a sustainable future
Sunila was chosen as the location for the pilot plant a year after forest industry giant Stora Enso became a shareholder in CarbonScape.The partnership combines CarbonScape’s cutting-edge technology with Stora Enso’s expertise in innovations based on bio-based renewable materials.
Juuso Konttinen, Senior Vice President of Biomaterials Growth Businesses at Stora Enso, said, “The location of CarbonScape’s pilot plant at our Sunila site is fully aligned with our shared vision to advance sustainable battery technologies and the transition to renewable materials. Our partnership will help explore synergies between our facilities, accelerate innovation and strengthen Stora Enso’s leadership in sustainable solutions.”
From piloting to commercial scale
Since 2018, CarbonScape has been optimising biograft production processes at its pilot plant in New Zealand.
The new pilot plant in Sunila will significantly scale up this technology, paving the way for full-scale commercialisation. The pilot plant has three main tasks:
- To produce larger biograft samples for OEMs, battery cell manufacturers and product classification needs
- To train operators and engineers on a large industrial scale
- Get closer to one of CarbonScape’s end markets, Europe
Global impact and market potential
Graphite makes up 42% of the volume of a lithium-ion battery, so developing a sustainable, locally produced alternative is critical.
By 2030, more than 90% of the world’s battery-grade graphite will come from China, creating potential supply chain vulnerabilities for the growing electric vehicle and energy storage markets.
CarbonScape’s biographite is a price-competitive solution that offers superior performance, environmental friendliness and energy security by enabling local production of the material. This is in line with the EU’s Critical Raw Materials Regulation and parallel efforts to safeguard strategic battery materials in North America.
Through joint ventures and technology licensing, CarbonScape aims to achieve a turnover of $2.5 billion and a market share of almost 20% in Europe and the US by 2035.