A review of graphite beneficiation techniques

Graphite as a naturally occurring crystalline carbon is required for many different applications such as batteries, refractories, electrical products, pencils, etc. Many new graphite deposits are currently being extracted to help meet the growing demand. It is among the list of critical raw materials by the European Union. Graphite ore is mostly beneficiated using flotation separation techniques. The increasing demand for high grade graphite products with up to 99.99% carbon has led to develop various methods to remove impurities even to ppm range. This paper considers separation and purification techniques that are currently employed for graphite mineral beneficiation and identifies areas in need of further research.