Relationship among graphite electrode, needle coke and negative electrode material

1. Graphite electrode

40% for negative electrode materials and 60% for graphite electrodes (55% for construction steel).

The price of ultra-high graphite electrode increased by 10 times in half a year. In terms of demand, after the national ban on strip steel, the price of scrap steel fell sharply, and the cost of electric furnace steel decreased. Now the cost of electric furnace steel is 100 yuan lower than that of converter steel (the highest 700 yuan). The output of electric furnace steel is 100 million tons this year, with an increase of 160,000 tons of graphite electrode. Domestic demand for graphite electrodes has increased by 30% this year.

Before graphite electrode, the whole industry lost money, and the production cycle was 5 months. Before the price rise, the cost of steel was 2%, and now it is more than 10%. The profit of steel is now 700 yuan per ton of steel. Graphite electrode 200-300 yuan, steel enterprises still have profits.

Graphite electrode, high power consumption needle coke 1:1.05; Ultra-high power 0.3 needle coke; Ordinary uses only petroleum coke.

High power is used in steelmaking, and the demand for needle coke has increased by about 50%.

The price of ultra-high power graphite electrode will continue to rise, at least until the middle of March next year. It may even rise to the middle of next year.

2. Needle coke

International suppliers: 8 enterprises. Conocophillips (2 in the United States and Britain); Japan; Pohang, South Korea. A total of more than 1 million tons.

Domestic: Shanxi Hongte, 30,000 tons, capital fracture and shutdown, making graphite electrode; Anshan 40,000 tons of capacity, output of more than 10,000 tons, 30,000 tons of output this year; Guangdong Chemical has 30,000 tons of production capacity and 15,000 tons of output this year. Jinzhou Petroleum 6 Plant, 30,000 tons output; Shanxi 100,000 tons of production capacity, no sales. Shandong has a capacity of 50,000 tons. Fangda Carbon's Xikemo, 51% stake, restarted in June, estimated at 10,000 tons for the whole year and 40,000 to 50,000 tons next year. Domestic actual production capacity of 470,000 tons, most of idle capacity is not production, domestic production is estimated to be 80,000 tons this year. 30,000 tons are oil series and 50,000 tons are coal series.

The quality of domestic products is poor and difficult to use. As the nipple of graphite electrode, the nipple needs to be imported, preferably oil system, and Japan is the best. Domestic needle coke has low density and low coefficient of thermal expansion, which is not as good as foreigners. Domestic and unstable quality.

The technical barrier of needle coke is very high.

3. Negative electrode material

1). 2-2.5 tons of negative material coal needle coke (5 times the price, 150-21 thousand tons)+ graphitization (18,000), out of 1 ton of negative material is now close to 60,000 yuan. It costs around 70,000 yuan. It used to have a 30% gross margin.

2). Negative electrode battery manufacturers are used to reducing prices and generally do not accept price increases; The cost of negative electrode material manufacturers is generally transferred to the upstream (such as needle coke and petroleum coke mixed burning). The goal is to transfer 10% of the price increase to the downstream battery manufacturers and and carry 10% of their own.

3). The demand for negative electrode materials is 140,000 tons.

4). Needle coke cannot be delivered in cash. Small and medium-sized enterprises have a greater impact. Large enterprises, Shanshan and others still have some inventory, which is not much. In the past year, the prices of manufacturers' materials have been rising, and the negative electrode inventory is 1-2 months. Therefore, the price of cathode materials should be increased by more than 10%.

5). Graphite, silicon carbon (Panasonic model 3), lithium titanate (Yinlong), solid state

Now graphite is the mainstream, and after 2020 silicon and lithium titanate will start to appear.

4. Q & A:

1). Silicon carbon negative electrode is well made in China

Domestic 3-4, one is Shenzhen Beitrui, Shanghai Shanshan, and a Jiangxi company. Now the problem is that the amount has not been released, or small scale pilot research and development. Improve according to battery factory feedback. Equipment investment is RMB 200 million, excluding infrastructure and land use.

2). Rising costs of graphite negative electrode Enterprises

The negative electrode material factory has supported for two months. One is to wait and see the price of raw materials. After half a year, it is still soaring. One is that there was inventory before, but now the inventory is tight and the cost pressure is great. One is that the negative electrode material manufacturer signs orders with the downstream. After the old orders are fulfilled, the new orders should be negotiated with the battery manufacturer. However, the battery factory has the pressure of price reduction from the vehicle factory. Not all will be transferred to the battery manufacturer.

3). The negative electrode is in the lithium battery, and the cost is 5% - 7%.

4). Is there any difference between battery needle coke and steel needle coke?

The negative electrode material can use petroleum coke instead of needle coke. However, without needle coke, the crystallinity of graphite is not enough, the energy density of the battery can not be raised, and the battery quality will be problematic. Needle coke is now mostly used by negative electrode material manufacturers.

Iron and steel plants should use needle coke and petroleum coke. It is best to use needle coke for 100% of super power. The carbon strength, conductivity and thermal conductivity are better, and the quality of steel out of practice is better.

The amount of iron and steel plant is very large, the amount of negative manufacturers is very small. Graphite electrodes are mainly for steel plants.

5). Listed companies corresponding to needle coke

Only Sikemo (Fangda Carbon) can be industrialized before the end of the year; Baotailong (no research, industry experts believe that there is no industrialized production)

6). How to replace natural graphite negative electrode and artificial graphite negative electrode?

Natural graphite can also be used in batteries. Natural graphite is used in Korea and Japan. Domestic BYD uses natural graphite. The advantage of long cycle of natural graphite in power battery can not be reflected, and the high-temperature performance is worse than that of artificial graphite.

When the price of artificial graphite increases, the cost can be controlled by adding a little natural graphite (small price increase), but the cost of natural graphite in the graphitization process will increase by 30-40 million. Natural graphite has no problem in 3C products. Apple mobile phones are made of artificial graphite in China.

Natural graphite can be mixed with artificial graphite, which can reduce a certain cost and can be used in the digital field.

7). 2-2.5 tons of needle coke out of 1 ton of anode material

8). The negative electrode material is composed of needle coke, which accounts for 50-60% and graphitization 40% - 50%

9). The billing period from the negative material factory to the battery factory is generally 3-6 months, to read more related information contact us.