U.S. researchers have found a way to turn forest and farm waste into graphite that could help reduce reliance on imports from China.
On March 25, 2026, researchers from the National Laboratory of the Rockies and North Carolina State University announced a breakthrough in graphite production . The team found a way to turn biomass—like forestry and agricultural waste—into high-quality graphite, the same material currently imported from China for batteries, steel, and advanced manufacturing.
This discovery could help the U.S. reduce reliance on foreign graphite and boost domestic production.Traditionally, graphite is mined or produced from petroleum and requires extremely high temperatures. The new method uses conventional refinery equipment to process biomass into “bio-graphite,” creating a product virtually identical to imported graphite. The process still yields fuel, making it a dual-purpose system.“What’s novel about this research is that we have shown two viable pathways to produce domestic graphite and fuels as part of the same process,” said Carrie Farberow, an NLR bioeconomy chemical engineer. “One allows us to turn waste materials into battery-grade graphite, and the other allows for significant energy and cost savings during bio-graphite production.”Using existing refineries to make graphiteThe first pathway relies on the same machines that petroleum refineries already use. Normally, refineries heat leftover tar to 932° F in delayed cokers, then calcine the byproducts at 1,832° F before finally producing graphite at 5,432° F .NLR’s team adapted this process for biomass. They first use fast pyrolysis to heat organic materials in an oxygen-free reactor, producing a bio-oil. This oil can be upgraded into fuels or converted into bio-graphite using existing refinery equipment.“During our research, we modeled the delayed coking process for pyrolysis oil derived from biomass,” explained Steven Rowland, a former NLR researcher. “We saw there is potential for existing petroleum refineries to process the abundant domestic biomass we already collect and upgrade it into high-value carbons like graphite.”This approach allows manufacturers to produce American-made graphite without major changes to their current operations. Bio-graphite can be used directly in batteries or blended with petroleum streams, helping meet growing domestic demand.Lower-temperature graphite productionThe second pathway, discovered by NLR and NCSU, reduces the temperature required to produce the mineral. Instead of heating to 5,432° F , researchers used iron as a catalyst to convert carbon-rich bio-coke into graphite at 1,832° F to 2,732° F .Lowering the temperature drastically cuts energy use and production costs. It also allows furnaces to be built from less expensive materials. While the iron catalyst must be removed after processing, the method yields more graphite and is financially viable, according to techno-economic analysis published in Bioresource Technology.“The two graphitization pathways we’ve developed have allowed us to demonstrate, from start to finish, how to convert biomass into rechargeable lithium-ion batteries,” stated Bertrand Tremolet de Villers, a senior battery chemistry researcher at NLR. “Then, we can characterize and validate those batteries in the lab to make sure they’re safe and high performing.”Turning waste into economic opportunityThe U.S. has a massive supply of biomass that could be converted into the mineral. Waste wood from wildfire prevention, industrial byproducts, and even sewage can be transformed into high-value material for batteries and steel production.“The Department of Energy has reported that the U.S. can produce more than a billion tons of biomass each year in addition to what we currently export. Most of that is amenable to pyrolysis and subsequent graphitization, and it could conservatively yield 100 million tons of battery-grade graphite a year,” Rowland added.To scale up, NLR is building a pilot-scale delayed coker to turn large quantities of pyrolysis oil into graphite and jet fuel. The resulting graphite will be tested in large-format lithium-ion batteries for grid-scale energy storage.“These processes really have the capability to scale up to meet our future graphite needs,” Farberow pointed out. “With some investment into industrial capabilities, American manufacturing could get the boost it needs.”The new research is published in the journal ChemSusChem.
Biomass Conversion China Graphite Graphite Production Jet Fuel Petroleum Waste Biomass
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