Renascor Resources Ltd. has started graphite processing at its state-of-the-art purified spherical graphite (PSG) demonstration plant in South Australia.
The Adelaide-based facility has begun processing graphite through Renascor’s proprietary, hydrofluoric acid (HF)-free integrated purification flowsheet with the introduction of operational reagents.
Constructed with the support of a AU$5 million grant from the Australian government’s International Partnerships in Critical Minerals Program, the large-scale plant is designed to continuously produce tonne-scale quantities of battery-grade material.
The active processing campaign marks the transition of the facility from construction to full operational control under Renascor’s processing team, following key upgrades to the kiln cabling and filter press automation.
All major process systems, including the critical caustic bake circuit, have run with graphite at target operating parameters with zero safety or environmental incidents reported.
Renascor’s eco-friendly process aims to bypass the conventional use of toxic hydrofluoric acid, offering a commercially competitive and environmentally sustainable alternative for manufacturing lithium-ion battery anodes.
The trial runs will validate the process at scale, generating the vital operating data, cost metrics, and bulk product samples required to secure international customer offtake agreements.
Renascor Managing Director David Christensen said the development is a pivotal step toward full-scale commercial operations.
“For the first time, we are operating the process under production conditions with graphite and reagents, with the objective of demonstrating the production of battery-grade graphite and generating qualification material for prospective customers,” Christensen said.
“The demonstration plant was built to validate our HF-free purification process, generate operating data and support customer qualification programs.
“The activities now underway are an important step in demonstrating that capability and progressing toward commercial-scale production.”
The current validation phase is scheduled to extend into the next quarter.
Renascor has confirmed it holds sufficient feedstock on-site to complete initial runs, while final export approvals are being processed for larger graphite shipments to fuel broader production campaigns in the second half of the year.
