Key Success Factors for a Good Project, page-18

You are not telling anyone anything new - it's always been KNOWN acid purification is cheaper. Currently China is where most of the spherical graphite is produced. The reason their product is "cheap" is they do not treat the acid "waste" in an appropriate Western acceptable manner . If they did, their costs would go up. Therefore Western potential producers are looking at non-acid purification. One such company is Alabama Graphite - "American Graphite for American Green Energy" - I've posted their purification process here before - you might want to read it.

Cheers