Bio-oil to Graphitic Carbon for the Sustainable Technologies of Tomorrow
Project partners: TNO, BioBTX
Grand date: 11 November 2025
The aim of the project is to develop an improved methodology to produce graphitic carbon from biogenic and waste residue streams as a means of circular carbon intensification and to replace a fossil-based critical raw material used in advanced materials. Instead of mining natural graphite or relying on highly energy-intensive synthetic methods, this process converts oils derived from the pyrolysis or gasification of biomass and plastic wastes, second generation feedstocks, that do not compete with food, into carbon black and then restructure this carbon into crystalline graphite through a catalytic graphitization process. Graphite is a key building block not only for batteries, electric vehicles, and data centres, but also for functional molecules in high-performance polymers, coatings, composites, fillers, additives and other materials used across many sectors of the chemical and e-chemical industry. Current production of synthetic graphite depends on fossil feedstocks and temperatures exceeding 2,500 °C, with residence times lasting weeks or even months, consuming vast amounts of energy and often requiring harsh chemical treatments with the use of only fossil derived feedstocks. By introducing non-fossil derived feedstocks and readily available catalysts such as iron, the process temperature can be reduced to around or below 1,300 °C, and residence times are shortened dramatically, significantly lowering both energy use and environmental impact.
This cleaner, safer pathway also avoids the use of critical raw materials in the production process itself, ensuring that the primary goal of replacing a critical raw material with a sustainable, local alternative is met. The resulting material properties will be correlated to the pertinent industrial applications, while eliminating reliance on fossil-based residues and toxic reagents. By producing high-value graphitic carbon from local biobased and plastic waste streams, this innovation contributes directly to circular chemistry, reducing CO2 emissions, lowering environmental burden, and creating secure European access to a critical carbon material. The project aligns fully with the goals of the TKI for Green Chemistry and Circularity by demonstrating how second generation feedstocks can be upgraded into high-performance, application-ready building blocks for functional molecules, helping to accelerate the green and digital transition while ensuring that new materials have clear end-of-life solutions and do not create persistent environmental waste.
The transition to electric mobility depends on large amounts of advanced batteries. While their environmental performance during use is relatively well understood, what happens at the end of their life remains uncertain. Car batteries can be reused, repurposed for stationary storage, or recycled – but often only partially, and
sometimes in ways that reduce material quality. For designers of cars and battery chemicals, this makes it difficult to choose the most sustainable option. The EL-Chem project helps solve this problem. It develops new methods and software to show the real environmental consequences of different end-of-life routes for battery materials such as lithium, cobalt, and nickel. By combining detailed Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) with practical tools for product designers, EL-Chem makes it possible to compare scenarios such as reuse in a second life, recycling, or down-cycling. Instead of a single number, designers will see ranges and probabilities, reflecting the uncertainty of future use and disposal. The project builds directly on two earlier projects. The CRISP consortium is currently building design-oriented LCA software, and the ESED project showed that simplified but validated tools are crucial for decision-making in the early design stages. EL-Chem brings these lessons to the complex world of battery chemicals. The results will support industry in creating batteries that are not only high-performing but also designed with their future reuse and recycling already in mind.
