Abstract
Various fractionalized solvents with different paraffinicities were adopted to maximize the efficiency of the quinoline insoluble (QI) extraction process for coal tar pitch. In addition, highly pressurized conditions combined with raised temperature (4 bar at 300 °C) were used to accelerate the reaction kinetics of the extraction process. The QI content of purified coal tar pitch was analyzed to be 0.1% at a process yield of up to 72% as a solvent with a K-factor of 10 and above was used. Purified coal tar pitch was then processed to form anisotropic coke using a lab-scale tube bombe reactor. The texture observed under a polarized light microscope showed an anisotropic flow domain, a unique morphological feature of needle coke. The additives and reaction conditions used in this study for QI extraction for coal tar pitch were found to be effective and feasible as preliminary processing in needle coke production.
Highlights
Carbon/graphite materials exhibit excellent physical and chemical properties such as high electrical/thermal conductivity, mechanical strength, and thermal/chemical resistance due to their unique molecular and orbital structures
It is generally known that quinoline insolubles (QI) and aromatic properties existing in raw coal tar pitch are critical components determining micro-texture development in the delayed coking process. [4,5,6]
The controlled paraffinicity of the additive solvent and the pressurized QI-extraction reaction condition presented in this study were found to be effective as raw material treatment for needle coke production
Summary
Carbon/graphite materials exhibit excellent physical and chemical properties such as high electrical/thermal conductivity, mechanical strength, and thermal/chemical resistance due to their unique molecular and orbital structures. Like petroleum-based raw materials (i.e., residues, heavy oils from oil refineries), coal tar pitch is regarded as an important resource for the production of needle coke and artificial graphite and is widely used in the carbon/graphite materials industry. It is generally known that quinoline insolubles (QI) and aromatic properties existing in raw coal tar pitch are critical components determining micro-texture development in the delayed coking process. The concentration of QI should be minimized to promote the coalescence of burgeoning mesophase spheres upon heat treatment of coal tar pitch, yielding the needle-shaped (uniaxially oriented) coke texture [8,9,10,11,12]. Sci. 2021, 11, 2906 heat treatment of coal tar pitch, yielding the needle-shaped (uniaxially oriented) coke texture [8,9,10,11,12].
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