Battery-scrolly-update/index.html at main · spb-droid/Battery-scrolly-update · GitHub

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                <p>Most people associate batteries with lithium, nickel, and cobalt. But China's real advantage lies in both graphite and the refining needed to process battery materials.</p>
                <p>China has a surplus of around 1.5 million tonnes of synthetic graphite, set to double by 2031. North America, by contrast, has a supply deficit expected to reach 300,000 tonnes by 2031.</p>
                <p><em>Recharge</em> takes you step by step through the journey of building a battery — from minerals underground to finished cells — revealing how China has come to dominate critical parts of the supply chain.</p>
                <p>For stationary energy storage, lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries have overtaken nickel manganese cobalt (NMC). Every LFP battery is built from two key components: a cathode, which defines the battery chemistry, and a graphite anode.</p>
                <p><em>This scrollytelling story is best viewed on a desktop.</em></p>
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                <h2>Underground</h2>
                <p>Every battery's journey starts underground with mining.</p>
                <p>LFP batteries require:</p>
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                    <li>Lithium for the cathode</li>
                    <li>Iron phosphate for the cathode</li>
                    <li>Graphite for the anode</li>
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                <p>Australia is the largest lithium producer, but China has invested heavily in mines across Australia, Argentina and Africa, and is projected to control 43% of global lithium extraction by 2030, according to Benchmark.</p>
                <p>Graphite is even more concentrated. China produces around 70% of natural graphite and dominates global processing. No scalable alternative to graphite is expected in the near term.</p>
                <p>Iron phosphate is mainly produced from steel industry byproducts and from phosphoric acid derived from phosphate rock used in fertiliser production. Some feedstocks also come from titanium dioxide processing, which uses ilmenite.</p>
                <p>Other materials include oil and gas for polymer production, iron ore for the steel outer casing, bauxite for aluminium conductors, copper ore for copper conductors and fluorspar (fluorite), used in fluorine chemistry to produce electrolyte salts alongside lithium and phosphorus compounds.</p>
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                <h2>Processing</h2>
                <p>Lithium is then refined into lithium carbonate or lithium hydroxide, while graphite is processed into spherical graphite or manufactured synthetically from petroleum coke.</p>
                <p>China controls roughly 70% of global lithium chemical production, 93% of graphite processing, and more than 80% of spherical graphite capacity, according to Benchmark Mineral Intelligence.</p>
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                <h2>Cathode and anode split</h2>
                <p>Battery materials are then transformed into electrodes.</p>
                <p>Cathode manufacturers convert lithium chemicals and precursor cathode active materials (pCAM) such as iron phosphate (for LFP batteries) into CAM.</p>
                <p>Anode manufacturers, meanwhile, process graphite into anode active material (AAM).</p>
                <p>Cell manufacturers then coat CAM onto aluminium foil and AAM onto copper foil using glue to bind the powders to the foils. Whilst most cell manufacturers do this in-house, some smaller or niche battery makers may buy in pre-coated electrode rolls.</p>
                <p>"The IP surrounding CAM, AAM and cell production is constantly improving," Benchmark's research manager Evan Hartley told <em>Recharge</em>.</p>
                <p>"And whilst there have been some high-profile failures of European cell producers, attributed to the pace of technology improvement in China, Europe's battery industry is still growing strong."</p>
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                <h2>Cell assembly</h2>
                <p>The cell manufacturer then combines the cathode and anode electrodes with a separator and electrolyte.</p>
                <p>The coated cathode and anode are separated by a thin polymer separator to prevent short-circuiting. These thin layers are then stacked or rolled into a tight coil, filled with electrolyte, sealed inside a steel outer casing - forming the battery cell.</p>
                <p>The cathode is connected to the positive terminal as a lithium source, and the anode to the negative terminal to store the lithium ions when charged - lithium salt electrolytes allow lithium ions to flow freely between the two.</p>
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                <h2>Battery assembly</h2>
                <p>Multiple battery cells are grouped into modules, which are then stacked into frames inside a larger cabinet.</p>
                <p>To create a complete battery energy storage system (BESS), the cabinet is fitted with a battery management system (BMS) that monitors cell performance, state of charge and battery health. An energy management system (EMS) sits above this, deciding when the battery charges or discharges based on electricity prices, grid signals and operator strategy.</p>
                <p>Some Chinese manufacturers are increasingly integrating the power conversion system (PCS), which converts DC battery power into AC grid power, directly into the battery block.</p>
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                <h2>China's edge</h2>
                <p>"China's dominance in the battery supply chain stems from its vertical integration and early mover status across raw material resources, battery material processing and battery production," Benchmark Mineral Intelligence's senior BESS analyst Pete Tillotson told <em>Recharge</em>.</p>
                <p>"Through centralised planning and considerable industry subsidies, China established itself as the global centre of the battery industry before other regions had a chance to present a viable alternative."</p>
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