Appalachian Coal

American Synthetic Graphite

TNT Biofuels is building integrated coal processing and advanced graphite manufacturing on the nation's premier low-volatile metallurgical coal — converting the coking coal that built American steel into the synthetic graphite that powers American batteries.

American Graphite — The Mandate

The Mandate

A Critical Material America Does Not Make

Graphite is the single largest material in every lithium-ion battery — the anode in every electric vehicle, grid storage system, and data-center backup on the road and on the grid. It is designated a critical mineral by the U.S. Government. And the United States produces none of its natural graphite and only a fraction of the synthetic graphite it consumes.

China produces roughly 80% of the world's graphite and controls over 90% of battery-grade processing, including more than 95% of synthetic graphite anode material. Beijing has already placed graphite on its dual-use export-control list — restrictions currently suspended only through November 2026. In February 2026, U.S. trade authorities responded with duties driving the effective tariff on Chinese anode material to roughly 220%.

The supply chain is not merely concentrated. It is contested. Domestic production is no longer an economic preference — it is a national security requirement.

>95%

of synthetic graphite anode material is made in China

+310%

projected growth in global graphite demand by 2036

American Graphite — Feedstock Advantage

The Feedstock Advantage

The Highest-Grade Metallurgical Coal in the Nation

Synthetic graphite is refined carbon — and its quality begins with the carbon you start from. TNT's sites sit directly on the Flat Top–Pocahontas Coalfield of Southern West Virginia, home of the Pocahontas No. 6 seam: the low-volatile, low-sulfur, low-ash coking coal that made first-quality metallurgical coke for a century of American steel, and the chosen fuel of the U.S. Navy. It is among the highest-rank bituminous coal on Earth — an ideal, carbon-dense feedstock for advanced graphite synthesis.

~15,000

BTU per pound heat content

Low-Vol

Low-volatile · low-sulfur · low-ash rank

~900M

Tons remaining in the Pocahontas field

On-Site

Mine-mouth feedstock · no import exposure

American Graphite — Integrated Manufacturing

Integrated Manufacturing

From Seam to Cell: One Continuous Value Chain

Coal-derived synthetic graphite is a pathway validated by U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory research — including work headquartered in West Virginia. TNT integrates coal processing and graphite production on a single campus, capturing every stage of value that America currently ships overseas.

Stage 01

Coal Processing

Premium low-volatile metallurgical coal is cleaned and beneficiated on site, removing mineral matter to produce a high-purity, carbon-dense feedstock.

Stage 02

Carbonization

Processed coal is thermally converted into engineered carbon intermediates — the coke-derived precursor chemistry Southern West Virginia has mastered for generations.

Stage 03

Graphitization

Carbon is transformed at extreme temperature into ordered crystalline graphite, engineered to battery-anode and industrial specifications.

Stage 04

Advanced Products

Finished synthetic graphite, activated carbon, and clean power leave the campus as Made-in-America critical materials — at 98% emission-free operation.

Synthetic Graphite

Battery-anode and industrial-grade graphite for EVs, grid storage, steel computer/electronic components, and defense applications — replacing imports in a market where the U.S. consumed an estimated 431,000 tons of synthetic graphite in a single year.

Activated Carbon

High-value activated carbon for water treatment, air purification, and industrial filtration — a second revenue stream from the same feedstock.

Clean Grid Power

On-campus clean power generation supporting operations and the regional grid — energy-intensive graphitization powered where the coal is, not across an ocean.

American Graphite — The Numbers

The Numbers

The Market TNT Is Built For

Every figure below describes the same reality: surging demand, concentrated foreign supply, and a domestic industry that must be built now.

80%

Share of world graphite production held by China (2024–25)

~220%

Effective U.S. tariff on Chinese graphite anode material after the February 2026 trade determination

$128M

Value of natural graphite consumed by U.S. companies in 2025 — all of it imported

79,000 t

U.S. natural graphite imports, 2025 — with hundreds of thousands more tons of synthetic graphite imported on top

28% → 62%

Battery anodes' share of global graphite consumption, 2024 projected to 2036

98%

Emission-free operation across TNT's integrated processing and production campus