4.13.2.1 Production

At present the mining and processing of both crystalline graphite and cryptocrystalline graphite are under way in China. All crystalline graphite is mined by the open-pit mining method (e.g. in Liumao, Nanshu, Pingdu, Xinghe and Shanchaya). Cryptocrystalline graphite is mostly exploited by the underground mining method (e.g. in Lutang and  Panshi graphite mines). The two major categories and several series of graphite ore products (including concentrates and chemically refined products) and graphite manufactured products have been developed and produced. The graphite ore products include high-purity graphite,

Fig. 4.13.2 Maps of Distribution of graphite-producing enterpries in China

Table 4.13.1 Production condition of graphite-producing enterprises in China in 1996



high-carbon graphite, medium-carbon graphite  and low-carbon graphite. The manufactured graphite products include colloid graphite, expandable graphite and their products, carbon graphite products and graphite crucible.

There were 128 graphite mining-dressing enterprises in 1996 in China, and the number was reduced to 107 in 1997. These enterprises with an annual output of more than 10,000 tons are as follows: the Nanshu graphite mine and Beishu graphite mine, Qingdao Heili Graphite Industry Co., and Tianzhuang graphite mine, Liugezhuang No.2 graphite mine, Heilong graphite mine and Guanzhuang Graphite Co. of Pingdu in Shangdong, Liumao graphite mine, Jixi graphite mine and Guangyi graphite mine of Muling in Heilongjiang, Panshi graphite mine in Jilin, Xinghe graphite mine in Inner Mongolia and Lutang graphite mine in Hunan.

With the widening of the field of application and increasing demand, China's graphite production increased from 0.16 million tons in 1980 to 0.68 million tons in 1990, with an annual average increase of 15.57%. Since the 1990s, the production has decreased for a time, which was down to 0.508 million tons in 1992 and then rose year by year. In 1996, the output increased by more than 2 times than that in 1993. Statistic data over the years from the Mineral Commodity Summaries showed that China's graphite output ranked the first in the world, accounting for more than 50% of the total. The Annual Statistic Report of the State Administration of Building Materials Industry of China showed that China's graphite output was 1.6804 million tons in 1997, of which that of crystalline graphite was 0.1427 million tons. China's graphite output was 1.621 million tons in 1998, of which that of crystalline graphite was about 0.28 million tons.

4.13.2.2 Distribution of Production

The distribution and production of  main graphite mines in China are shown in Fig. 4.13.2 and Table 4.13.1. From the map, we can see that the crystalline graphite mines are mainly concentrated in Shandong and Heilongjiang, Inner Mongolia and Hubei, and their crystalline graphite output accounted for 91.92% of the total in China in 1997. Cryptocrystalline graphite mines are mainly concentrated in Hunan, Jilin and Shaanxi provinces, and the production in the three provinces accounted for 79.76% of the total in China in 1997. At present, these provinces and regions have become the main bases of graphite production and export in China.