Carbion innovates a thermochemical platform that transforms biomass into high-quality graphite for batteries and other critical industries, faster and more affordably than traditional methods. By turning abundant, underutilized feedstocks into a domestic, cost-competitive graphite supply, Carbion advances domestic manufacturing, strengthens energy security, and accelerates a circular economy.
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Yang Zhong
Yang Zhong is the founder and CEO of Carbion, a company transforming biomass into high-value carbon materials for critical energy and manufacturing applications. Zhong received his Ph.D. from MIT, where he worked with Evelyn Wang and Gang Chen on developing breakthrough technologies at the intersection of water, energy, and materials science. He holds two M.S. degrees from MIT in mechanical engineering and electrical engineering & computer science, and dual B.S. degrees from Purdue University and Shanghai Jiao Tong University.
TECHNOLOGY
Critical Need
Graphite demand is expected to quadruple by 2040, straining global supply chains. Traditional graphite production, whether through mining or energy-intensive synthetic methods, cannot meet rising needs. Meanwhile, China currently supplies 82 percent of total graphite and 93 percent of battery-grade graphite, posing significant geopolitical risks to critical industries such as batteries, steelmaking, aerospace, and nuclear in other economies. In parallel, vast amounts of agricultural and forestry biomass, abundant and carbon-rich, are burned or landfilled—driving air pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, and elevated fire risks. Together, these challenges call for technologies that turn plentiful underutilized carbon sources into a resilient supply of critical materials.
Technology Vision
Carbion is pioneering next-generation biomass-to-graphite technology to transform abundant, carbon-rich biomass into high-quality graphite for battery and other critical industries at competitive costs. Through a catalytic thermochemical process operating at less than half the temperature of synthetic methods, Carbion slashes energy consumption and cuts capital costs while completing the process within a day, compared to the weeks or months required by traditional approaches. By delivering battery-grade graphite faster, cheaper, and with resilient supply chains, Carbion leapfrogs today’s energy-intensive methods and mining-dependent supplies and establishes a direct path to domestic graphite production for critical industries.
Potential for Impact
Graphite is essential to energy storage, manufacturing, transportation, and national security. Carbion’s innovations forge a new pathway to meet surging energy and industrial demands by producing cost-effective, domestically manufactured critical materials. Carbion's technology dramatically cuts energy use, reduces reliance on imports, and eliminates the geopolitical and environmental risks associated with mining. Moreover, by sourcing agricultural and forestry residues from local communities, Carbion drives regional economic growth and advances a circular economy model. At scale, Carbion’s platform catalyzes an end-to-end domestic material and energy ecosystem, empowering domestic manufacturing, enhancing national energy resilience, and accelerating the global transition toward a more resilient economy.
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Carbion