Project description
Powering Europe’s clean energy future
Europe’s green transition hinges on secure, sustainable materials. Yet graphite – essential for EV batteries and green steel – is neither secure nor sustainable in its current form. It is produced using fossil fuels, and the EU relies almost solely on external suppliers. The aim of the EIC‑funded Fossil‑Free Graphite project is to change this. Sweden-based Nordic Bio‑Graphite has developed a patent‑pending process that turns biochar into high‑purity, fossil‑free graphite. The CO₂‑neutral process offers a cost‑competitive, locally sourced alternative that supports the EU’s Critical Raw Materials Act and strengthens supply-chain resilience. The next step is a pilot plant to scale production and validate performance. Replacing fossil graphite could help accelerate the clean energy transition and reinforce Europe’s industrial resilience.
Objective
Nordic Bio-Graphite (NBG) is developing a fossil-free, bio-based graphite to address the growing demand for sustainable materials in electric vehicle (EV) batteries, green steel production, and other industrial applications. Traditional graphite production is highly carbon-intensive and relies on fossil-based inputs, with Europe importing most of its graphite. This dependency creates significant supply chain risks and environmental challenges.
To overcome these issues, NBG has developed a patent-pending process that converts biochar into high-purity graphite with 70% lower energy consumption and 95% fewer chemicals than conventional methods. This CO2-neutral process provides a cost-competitive, scalable alternative that can be produced locally, strengthening Europe’s raw material supply and contributing to the EU’s Critical Raw Materials Act objectives.
This project aims to scale the technology from TRL 6 to TRL 8 by establishing a pilot plant. The pilot will validate performance in batteries and industrial applications, engage with key industry partners, and prepare for large-scale commercialization.
By replacing fossil-based graphite with a sustainable alternative, NBG will reduce Europe’s reliance on imports, support the clean energy transition, and enable industrial decarbonization, fully aligning with the EU’s sustainability and climate goals.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project's classification has been human-validated.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project's classification has been human-validated.
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.3.1 - The European Innovation Council (EIC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-EIC-ACC - HORIZON EIC Accelerator
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-EIC-2025-ACCELERATOR-02
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
120 08 Stockholm
Sweden
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.