In search of a high-value carbon product from co-coking

A study was carried out to determine if the THF-insoluble residue from co-coking experiments could be used to generate synthetic graphite. Credit for selling such a product to the graphite industry could offset processing cost for the jet fuel. It is also possible that the blend of the petroleum stream and coal could reduce the cost of graphite since coal is a less expensive feedstock. Optical microscopy showed that the interaction between decant oil and coal gave to a new structure which did not correspond to the structure of the decant oil and coal coked alone. The anisotropy was higher in the blend than in the decant oil. Graphite was formed by the further heating of the semi-coke. The carbon materials obtained in the co-coking process showed a potential use in the graphite manufacture since the deviation between the data of the blend and decant oil was < 5% at 2900°C and 2.5% at 2280°C. The higher reaction time in the blend led to a higher value of degree of graphitization. The blend at 12 hr had identical values compared to the decant oil at 6 hr at 2900°C.