Characterization of carbonization reaction of petroleum residues by means of high-temperature ESR and transferable hydrogen

Abstract

An attempt has been made to characterize the carbonization reaction of petroleum residues through measurements of high temperature ESR, hydrogen donor ability and optical texture of resultant cokes. Good correlations were found between hydrogen donor ability and change in spin concentration. Residues forming cokes with large sizes of optical texture have a high ability as a hydrogen donor and show a low spin concentration at high temperatures. Similar results were obtained also for some model compounds. A model for the mechanism of carbonization is proposed on the basis of these observations.