Catalytic graphitization of biomass‐derived carbon offers a promising route to produce biographite as a sustainable alternative to petroleum‐based synthetic graphite for lithium‐ion battery (LIB) anodes. This study investigates the physicochemical properties of biocokes produced from pyrolysis oil at carbonization temperatures ranging from 150°C to 500°C. Using an iron (Fe) catalyst, graphitization was performed at 1500°C, significantly lower than the ∼3000°C required for conventional synthetic graphite. The effects of introducing an intermediate‐temperature hold (400°C–600°C) prior to graphitization were evaluated, simulating a “delayed coking” process to enable the coproduction of sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs). Chemical structure evolution during biocoke formation was analyzed, and proposed mechanisms are presented. Biographites produced via the delayed coking pathway exhibited high crystallinity and excellent electrochemical performance in both half‐cell and full‐cell LIB configurations. The full cells exhibited an initial discharge capacity close to the theoretical capacity of the NMC622 cathode (175 mAh/g at 4.2 V), and high capacity retention (∼88%) after 150 cycles. Notably, the graphitic and electrochemical properties remained stable across the range of intermediate hold temperatures. These findings provide a foundation for optimizing temperature parameters in delayed coking systems to enable scalable, integrated production of biographite and SAFs from pyrolysis oil.
Dey et al. (2026) studied this question.