ORNL researchers created and tested two methods for transforming coal into the scarce mineral graphite, which is used in batteries for electric vehicles and renewable energy storage.

The U.S. Geological Survey has classified graphite as a critical material for energy because the domestic supply of natural graphite is so small, and foreign imports are limited. Coal, on the other hand, is both abundant and affordable.

ORNL's coal-to-graphite project is supported by a diverse team of engineers, materials scientists and computational chemists across the laboratory. Researchers are developing and improving state-of-the-art graphite production processes, verifying their economic viability and scaling them up for manufacturing.

Project lead Edgar Lara-Curzio said the effort provides three key benefits: Enabling wider adoption of electric vehicles to slow climate change impacts; protecting national security by reducing dependence on foreign materials; and bringing economic development to former coal mining communities.

Bishnu Thapaliya, an electrochemist on the research team, said the potential impact is inspiring. "We can pivot from using coal to generate electricity to using coal to enable clean energy technologies, while helping people get back jobs and diversifying the supply chain for industry," he said.