EQS-News: EcoGraf HFfree® 1st Australian Patent Granted

EcoGraf HFfree^® 1st Australian Patent Granted

EcoGraf HFfree^® Purification Patent follows the Recent Industry-Leading Low Cost Breakthrough

EcoGraf Limited (“EcoGraf” or “the Company”) (ASX: EGR; FSE: FMK) is pleased to announce that IP Australia has granted the Company an Australian patent for its first original EcoGraf HFfree® purification patent (“Patent Family 1”) following finalisation of two oppositions.  The patent numbered 2021261902 has a term of 20 years from the date of the patent (being 14 May 2021) and expires 14 May 2041 (“Patent”). 

This grant follows the May 2025 grant of an Australian patent for EcoGraf’s second patent family (refer ASX announcement dated 7 May 2025) which provides broad protection of the Company’s HFfree purification technology flowsheet and builds on the Company’s Product Qualification Facility (“PQF”) program that is co-funded via a grant from the Australian Government’s Critical Minerals Development Program.

The Australian patents cover the use of the Company’s EcoGraf HFfree® purification technology across a range of applications relating to the manufacture of battery anode material, high purity graphite products and the recycling of lithium-ion battery anodes.

This Patent follows last week’s announcement that outlined the breakthrough process optimisations that lead to a 25% reduction in cost, resulting in an industry-leading low cost and stage 1 NPV of US$282m (A$433m) for its single-phase commercial scale Purification Facility (refer ASX Announcement dated 13 August 2025).

Protection of intellectual property rights is a key aspect of EcoGraf’s vertically integrated battery anode materials business that’s underpinned by the use of low-cost and environmentally sustainable process technology for the planned production of high purity natural flake and spherical graphite in Tanzania.

Patent applications have separately been made by EcoGraf in other planned processing locations, including the EU, South Korea, Malaysia and Vietnam.  The Company is pleased to note that patents for Patent Family 1 have also been granted for the US, South Africa and EAF (Tanzania, Mozambique and Namibia).

Prospective customers are showing increasing interest in the Company’s plans to provide a new source of environmentally superior battery anode material and EcoGraf is delighted that the Australian Government has supported its PQF initiative, which is a key step to secure offtake arrangements for the development of the Company’s planned commercial scale purification facilities in major global battery markets.

The Company’s strategy is to locate its purification facilities in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific markets to support localised demand outside of China and to meet the increasing demand for battery anode material.

EcoGraf’s HFfree® supply chain underscores its HFfree purified spherical graphite as one of the lowest cost supplies of high purity battery anode material that will enable customers to reduce their reliance on existing battery anode graphite supply chains.

This announcement is authorised for release by Andrew Spinks, Managing Director.

For further information, please contact:

INVESTORS 

Andrew Spinks  

Managing Director 

T: +61 8 6424 9002

Forward looking statements

Various statements in this announcement constitute statements relating to intentions, future acts and events. Such statements are generally classified as “forward looking statements” and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that could cause those future acts, events and circumstances to differ materially from what is presented or implicitly portrayed herein. The Company gives no assurances that the anticipated results, performance or achievements expressed or implied in these forward-looking statements will be achieved.

Production targets and financial information

Production targets and forecast financial information derived from the production targets, included in this report is extracted from ASX announcements dated 21 June 2017, 28 April 2023 and 25 July 2024, available at www.ecograf.com.au and www.asx.com.au. The Company confirms that all material assumptions underpinning the production targets and forecast financial information derived from the production targets set out in the announcements released on 21 June 2017, 28 April 2023 and 25 July 2024 continue to apply and have not materially changed. The production targets referred to in this report are based on the updated Epanko Reserve (25 July 2024 announcement) which is comprised of 82% Measured Resources and 18% Indicated Resources for an initial 18-year life of mine. The Measured Resources and Indicated Resources underpinning the production target have been prepared by a competent person in accordance with the requirements in Appendix 5A (JORC Code). The Company has not used Inferred Mineral Resources as part of the production target. The Study includes some Inferred Resources which are mined incidentally with the Measured and Indicated Resources and treated as waste for scheduling purposes.

About EcoGraf

EcoGraf is building a vertically integrated battery anode materials business to produce high purity graphite products for the lithium-ion battery and advanced manufacturing markets. Over US$30 million has been invested to date to create a highly attractive graphite business which includes:

• Epanko Graphite Mine in Tanzania;

• Mechanical Shaping Facility in Tanzania; 

• EcoGraf HFfree^® Purification Facilities located in close proximity to the electric vehicle, battery and anode manufacturers; and

• EcoGraf HFfree^® Purification technology to support battery anode recycling.   

In Tanzania, the Company is developing the TanzGraphite natural flake graphite business, commencing with the Epanko Graphite Project, to provide a long-term, scalable supply of feedstock for EcoGraf^® battery anode material processing facilities, together with high quality large flake graphite products for specialised industrial applications.

In addition, the Company is undertaking planning for its Mechanical Shaping Facility in Tanzania, which will process natural flake graphite into spherical graphite (SpG). This mechanical micronising and spheronising is the first step in the conversion of high-quality flake graphite concentrate into battery grade anode material used in the production of lithium-ion batteries.

Using its environmentally superior EcoGraf HFfree^® purification technology, the Company will upgrade the SPG to produce 99.95%C high performance battery anode material to supply electric vehicle, battery and anode manufacturers in Asia, Europe and North America.

Battery recycling is critical to improving supply chain sustainability and the Company’s successful application of the EcoGraf HFfree^®   purification process to recycle battery anode material provides it with a unique ability to support customers to reduce CO₂ emissions and lower battery costs.

Follow EcoGraf on LinkedIn, X, Facebook and YouTube or sign up to the Company’s mailing list for the latest announcements, media releases and market news.