http://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2014/07/f17/es164_wood_2014_o.pdf

Key Points IMO

1) ZEN is clearly identified as a material supplier (Why? There must be something really special about the Albany deposit because there are dozens of flake deposits and many in the US, none of which are being used in this study)

2) Key goal is to come up with a Green process for LiIon batteries, ZEN will be the Greenest graphite available, no acids no harsh treatments needed to purify it.

3) Note on slide 8 the largest cost component and seemingly the most difficult one to reduce is Composite Electrode Materials, that may well be one of the key reasons ZEN was added to this study. If ZEN's natural graphite can replace synthetic then costs may come down. Also synthetic costs are likely to rise and create more envirnmental issues especially if demand skyrockets.

4) Slide 15 identifies the issues of binders and the proprietary ones used by the Japanese and the need for the Americans to overcome this issue and develop domestic solutions (Gotta love it when the Americans think of us as domestic). This again is likely a reason why ZEN has been included since hydrothermal graphite has the highest crystallinity and one property associated with high crystalinity is the ability to mould and form the graphite, thus perhaps making the use of binders less important or perhaps not needed at all.

In my mind this presentation adds even more credibility to ZEN and why the Albany deposit is so rare and valuable.