HOUSTON – (Nov. 7, 2025) – Graphite, the primary anode material in lithium-ion batteries, has become central to energy storage technologies and a growing focus of supply chain concerns. Even as graphite demand is rising faster than lithium demand, global production remains highly concentrated and carbon-intensive.
A perspective article by Rice University researchers traces graphite's transformation from an industrial commodity to a critical mineral, outlining emerging solutions that could make graphite production cleaner and more resilient, including manufacturing synthetic graphite from renewable sources such as biomass and captured carbon dioxide.
Featured experts:
Pulickel Ajayan , Rice's Benjamin M. and Mary Greenwood Anderson Professor of Engineering and professor of materials science and nanoengineering, and Sohini Bhattacharyya , research scientist in the Ajayan research group , can address follow-up questions on graphite's role in the energy economy, including:
- How lower-carbon graphite production can strengthen supply security.
- Environmental and supply chain challenges in graphite production.
- Advances in "green" synthetic graphite and recycling of spent battery anodes.
- How industry and policy can help secure sustainable U.S. supply.
