Breakthrough Testwork Boosts Purity and Yield at International Graphite's Springdale Project

estwork on International Graphite’s Springdale graphite project in Western Australia has delivered promising results for the company.

Micronising and spheroidising (milling) testwork explored various process circuit options, resulting in two spheroidised graphite products – SpG18 and SpG11 – with yields reaching up to 76%.

Purification testing achieved an impressive 99.99% yield, surpassing the industry standard of 99.97% for high-purity anode material.

David Pass, International Graphite’s technical director, noted, “The testing aimed to optimise milling processes to boost output. The results are very encouraging and suggest there’s considerable potential to exceed the projections of our initial scoping study. The purification findings confirm that Springdale graphite meets the purity levels required for producing active anode materials.”

Andrew Worland, International Graphite’s CEO and managing director, added that the purified SpG sample will be used in upcoming coating tests and to refine process flowsheet development and equipment selection for battery anode material production.

“These outcomes mark a significant milestone in our mine-to-market production strategy and demonstrate that our fully-owned Springdale Mineral Resource is a crucial asset for the rapidly growing lithium-ion battery anode market,” Worland said.

He emphasized that the expertise gained from the company’s research and development facilities in Collie is playing a pivotal role in shaping its downstream flowsheet, which will further advance feasibility studies for battery anode production.