Three studies and surveys to prepare the future
Control of graphite exports, ban on the use of lead, exploration of potential natural hydrogen deposits… this month’s selection of topics provides keys to understanding the changes affecting the world of industry.
1. China’s restrictions on graphite exports: how will this affect the mechanical engineering industry?
What do a brake disc, a pacemaker, an electric vehicle battery, a wind turbine blade, a hip prosthesis, anticorrosion paint and a golf club have in common? They all contain natural or synthetic graphite in fairly large quantities.
Owing to its electrical and thermal conductivity, heat resistance and lubrication properties, graphite is used in a wide range of applications in many industrial sectors including steel making, metallurgy, automotive, energy, electronics and the nuclear sector.
Although Europe and France produce graphite, they still rely heavily on imports from China, which dominates the world market. However, since 1 December 2023, the Ministry of Commerce of China has enforced a new regulation requiring Chinese manufacturers to have an export licence for graphite products. What consequence will this have for the French mechanical engineering industries?
This is the subject of the report “Use of graphite and its derivatives in mechanical engineering: understanding the impact of China’s restriction on graphite exports” (9Q467) published in the Performance collection.
This document examines all aspects of graphite, including its chemical and physical properties, the types covered by the Chinese regulations, worldwide production and consumption, sectors of use, patent registrations, etc., and suggests a number of possible substitutes depending on the properties required for the application or end product.