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Bukit Asam pitches coal-derived artificial graphite as an EV battery material
State-owned coal miner PT Bukit Asam (PTBA), a subsidiary of mining holding company MIND ID, and the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) have begun the world’s first pilot project to convert coal into artificial graphite and anode sheet, both of which are raw materials for lithium-ion electric vehicle (EV) batteries.
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Barges piled high with coal are seen in the waters of Samarinda, East Kalimantan, on Aug. 16, 2022. (AFP/Adek Berry)
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tate-owned coal miner PT Bukit Asam (PTBA), a subsidiary of mining holding company MIND ID, and the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) had begun the world’s first pilot project to convert coal into artificial graphite and anode sheet, both of which are raw materials for lithium-ion electric vehicle (EV) batteries.
Artificial graphite is used as the primary component for anodes, while anode sheet is used as a battery electrode. An electrode is an electrical conductor used to make contact with a nonmetallic part of a circuit.
MIND ID director of portfolio and business development Dilo Seno Widagdo said during the pilot project’s soft launching ceremony on Monday that all companies under MIND ID were committed to “optimizing” the added value of Indonesia’s mineral and coal resources and developing the downstream industry in the country.
“This project is a strategic step that not only supports PTBA’s business diversification but also strengthens our position in the EV battery supply chain in the future,” he was quoted as saying in a statement issued on Monday.
PTBA corporate secretary Niko Chandra told The Jakarta Post on Monday that calculations related to the investment costs “will be studied further.”
Read also: Govt approves five downstream coal projects
In the first stage of converting coal into artificial graphite and anode sheet, coal is carbonized into semicoking coal or coalite, according to the statement.
