MOU signed with U.S.-based Molten for joint development of key raw materials for natural graphite anode material
A combination of POSCO Future M’s anode material technology and Molten’s methane-based graphite production technology expected to strengthen the raw material supply chain and cost competitiveness
Young-jun Hong, Head of the POSCO Future M Technology Research Laboratory: “We will leverage the combined technological strengths of both companies to secure differentiated competitiveness in the global market”
POSCO Future M is embarking on the development of natural graphite anode material from non-mined raw materials, in collaboration with U.S.-based Molten.
On the 11th, POSCO Future M signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Molten at COEX in Seoul for the joint development of natural graphite anode material feedstock using methane gas.
The signing ceremony was attended by Young-jun Hong, Head of the POSCO Future M Technology Research Laboratory; Kevin Bush, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Molten; Caleb Boyd, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Molten; and executives and employees from both organizations.
Through this agreement, POSCO Future M will combine its anode material technology with Molten’s methane-based graphite production technology to strengthen its anode material feedstock supply chain. Under the planned arrangement, Molten will produce graphite via methane pyrolysis, which POSCO Future M will then process into spherical graphite through its subsidiary FutureGraph before producing natural graphite anode material at its Sejong plant.
Graphite produced from methane gas contains lower levels of metallic impurities than mined graphite, reducing the number of purification steps required and yielding substantial cost savings in the production of natural graphite anode material. In addition, methane pyrolysis generates hydrogen as a co-product alongside graphite, which is expected to create synergies at the POSCO Group level, including potential use of the hydrogen for power generation or as a feedstock for POSCO’s hydrogen-based direct reduction steelmaking operations.
Young-jun Hong, Head of the POSCO Future M Technology Research Laboratory, said, “We have until now relied on graphite mined from conventional sources, but by combining the raw material and advanced materials expertise of both companies, we will secure key feedstock through an entirely new approach.” He added, “We expect this to give us a differentiated competitive edge in the global market through both supply chain diversification and cost reduction.”
Molten is the world’s only company capable of producing graphite via methane pyrolysis, and is headquartered in California.
Separately, POSCO Future M is working to vertically integrate its anode-material feedstock supply chain, drawing on the POSCO Group’s broader capabilities. For natural graphite anode material, the company plans to establish a supply chain in which graphite ore is sourced from Africa and other regions through the POSCO Group and processed into spherical graphite at its subsidiary FutureGraph. For artificial graphite anode material, coal-based and petroleum-based coke derived from coal tar generated in POSCO’s steelmaking process is used as the primary feedstock.
▲ POSCO Future M and Molten signed a memorandum of understanding at COEX in Seoul on the 11th to jointly develop natural graphite anode material feedstock using methane. Pictured from left: Young-jun Hong, Head of the POSCO Future M Technology Research Laboratory; Caleb Boyd, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Molten.