1. Introduction The distinctive characteristics of graphite have made it a valuable component in industrial materials. The rise of advanced materials like graphene has heightened interest in the availability of graphite resources [1,2,3]. China, the United States, and the European Union have all identified natural flake graphite deposits as a mineral that is critical to their supply chain [2,4,5]. In terms of graphite production and export, China holds the top position globally [3].
