Capacity Can Be Increased 4 Times Compared to Graphite Anodes
Silicon Anode Market Size Expected to Grow 39% Annually Until 2030
[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Dong-hoon] POSCO Group is also entering the silicon anode material business, which is gaining attention as the next-generation anode material.
POSCO Holdings announced on the 5th that it signed a contract on the 1st to acquire 100% of the shares of Terra Technos, which possesses silicon anode material production technology, together with Terra Science.
Terra Technos is a silicon anode material startup established in 2017. It possesses continuous production technology using a high-temperature liquid phase method with excellent heat transfer, which can increase productivity more than three times compared to existing batch-type technology. In addition, by nano-sizing silicon particles, it has developed technology that solves the volume expansion issue and increases the silicon content in the anode material.
Silicon anode material is a next-generation anode material that can increase energy density about four times compared to graphite anode material, which is currently mostly used in lithium-ion batteries, thereby improving electric vehicle driving range and shortening charging time.
For this reason, domestic and foreign battery manufacturers are focusing on developing technology to increase the silicon anode material content. The silicon anode material market size is expected to grow by 39% annually until 2030. The silicon anode material content, currently less than 5%, is expected to expand to over 10% by 2025 and over 25% by 2030.
POSCO Holdings plans to start expansion within this year after acquiring Terra Technos and begin mass production and sales in the first half of 2024. In addition, by combining Terra Technos' technology with the technical capabilities related to secondary battery materials of POSCO Group, including the Future Technology Research Institute, POSCO, POSCO Chemical, and RIST Pohang Institute of Industrial Science and Technology, they will secure mass production technology such as process development and production and quality management system establishment, aiming to expand to tens of thousands of tons by 2030 according to market conditions.
Yoo Byung-ok, head of the Eco-friendly Future Materials Team at POSCO Holdings, stated, "POSCO Group, which is the only one in the world to establish a secondary battery material supply chain value chain from raw materials such as lithium and nickel to cathode materials, will expand its portfolio in the anode material field through this Terra Technos acquisition, thereby reducing the high dependence on China in the secondary battery material sector in the future."
Meanwhile, POSCO Group is also producing natural and artificial graphite anode materials and needle coke, the raw material for artificial graphite anode materials, in-house. Natural graphite anode material has an annual production capacity of 70,000 tons through graphite mine investments, and artificial graphite anode material has solidified its position in the global market by completing the first domestic plant with an annual capacity of 8,000 tons last year. Furthermore, it is strengthening its capabilities in developing next-generation secondary battery materials comprehensively, including investing in shares of the Taiwanese solid-state battery company ProLogium and establishing the solid electrolyte production corporation POSCO JK Solid Solution.
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