Synthesis and Characterization of Needle Coke Produced from Thermal Modified Ethylene Residue Pitch

ABSTRACT

Ethylene residue pitch (ETP) is the by-product in the process of producing ethylene from the pyrolysis of crude oil. ETP is a kind of complex organic matrix with a lower aromaticity, a larger number of aliphatic chain hydrocarbons, and a higher content of carbon. To study the effects of thermal polycondensation on the quality of derived needle coke, 5 types of thermally modified ETPs have been used as the feedstock for needle coke production. Thermal modification is a favorable method to adjust the molecular structure parameters of ETP (especially on I_ar and CH₃/CH₂). I_ar is also a key parameter to determine the quality of ETP-based needle coke. Thermal modification treatment of ETP followed by liquid-phase carbonization is a feasible strategy to obtain high-quality ETP-based needle coke with the content of tended regular carbon microcrystals higher than 74%, the specific area (S_BET) lower than 6 m²·g⁻¹, the microstrength higher than 61%, and the resistance lower than 5.747 Ω. Therefore, moderate thermal modification of ETP significantly enhances the properties of the derived needle coke.

KEYWORDS:

• Ethylene residue pitch
• thermal modification
• microstructure
• carbon microcrystalline
• resistance

Acknowledgments

This work was partially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (U1361126), the Nature Science Foundation of Liaoning Province (2021-MS-306 and 2021-BS-245), the Liaoning Provincial Department of Education Project (2020LNQN03 and LJKZ0309), the Excellent Talents Training Program of University of Science and Technology Liaoning (2018RC07), and the Graduate Education Reform and Science Technology Innovation Entrepreneurship Project of University of Science and Technology Liaoning (LKDYC202120).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [U1361126]; Excellent Talents Training Program of University of Science and Technology Liaoning [2018RC07]; Liaoning Provincial Department of Education Project [2020LNQN03,LJKZ0309]; and Nature Science Foundation of Liaoning Province [2021-BS-245,2021-MS-306].