Buffalo, NY – Harper International, world leader in custom thermal processing solutions for advanced materials, is pleased to announce that its project in support of PUREgraphite, the U.S.-based subsidiary of Novonix Limited, has been selected to receive a US$5,577,738 grant under the Advanced Manufacturing Office FY20 Critical Minerals FOA (Funding Opportunity Announcement): Next-Generation Technologies and Field Validation (DEFOA-0002322).
This U.S. Department of Energy FOA specifically highlighted processing of battery critical minerals including synthetic graphite. The full list of recipients can be found on the Department of Energy's website: https://www.energy.gov/eere/amo/advanced-manufacturing-office-fy20-critical-materials-foa-selections-table
Harper International Vice President, Paul Elwell, said: "We are delighted by the selection of this innovation project by the U.S. Department of Energy. This decision highlights the significance of our close collaboration with the LithiumIon battery material specialists at PUREgraphite as we develop and validate next-generation thermal process technologies to address the nation's critical supply chain needs."
The project, entitled "High Efficiency Continuous Graphitization Furnace Technology for Lithium-Ion Battery Synthetic Graphite Material", will focus on development of proprietary furnace technology under the previously announced strategic alliance with Novonix. The award is a multi-year project that spans engineering, construction, and installation of new processing equipment at the PUREgraphite plant.
"The new furnace technology to be developed under this award will be industry leading and state of the art in energy efficiency, environmental impact, and capital cost. This is all part of our roadmap for continued innovation to make the highest performance material at globally competitive costs, all based in the United States," Dr. Burns said. Learn more about Harper’s unique High Temperature Furnaces visit www.harperintl.com/technologies.