Gratomic Inc. wants to ramp up production at its Aukam mine to 22,500 tpa of vein graphite by 2026, five times more than Sri Lanka’s production.
The Aukam mine is expected to start operations this year, targeting to produce anything between 7,600t and 12,000t.
By 2025, production should be between 12,000 and 16,000t before ramping up to 16,000 and 22,500t.
The Aukam mine hosts some of the highest-grade graphite globally, ranging between 3% and 81% Cg.
The high-grade graphite ore makes it easy to process to a grade of 98% Cg through specialized grinding, polishing, and flotation processes without chemical assistance.
Once processed, it is upgraded to battery-grade levels higher than +99% Cg.
Gratomic went into the commercial commissioning phase in late 2023 and stockpiled enough to produce 12,000 tonnes by November 2024.
During the commercial commissioning phase, Gratomic processed 300 tonnes of graphite, resulting in approximately 80 t at 94% compacted graphite.
Test processing results produced an average grade of 98.37% Cg in cleaner concentrate after flotation, while higher (>99.9%) concentrations can be achieved with air classification.
Namibia is one of four known countries in the world, together with Sri Lanka, Great Britain, and the US, where vein graphite is found.
Vein graphite has a graphitic content ranging from 94 to 99% and is used in brake linings, lubricants, refractory materials, battery cells, carbon brushes, lithium-ion batteries, and the plastic industry.
Sri Lanka is the only country worldwide that produces commercial quantities of vein graphite with more than 98% carbon purity.
The Aukam Graphite Project is located in southern Namibia, close to the port city of Luderitz. The property hosts five underground adits, mined periodically between 1940 and 1974.
The Aukam mine, 189km from Luderitz Bay Port, operates under licence 215.
Gratomic acquired the Aukam mine in 2020 when it bought Next Graphite 37% in Gazania 242.
The company’s CEO, Arno Brand, said in a November 2023 investor presentation that Gratomic’s full rollout was expected in the next three to five months, which puts the dates either in this first or second quarter.
