Graphitized Petroleum Coke (GPC) is a vital industrial material that is used in a range of manufacturing applications. From boosting steel production to improving Li-ion batteries, GPC has a number of unique properties that make it a key component in many important industrial processes. GPC is derived from petroleum coke through a high-temperature graphitization process, and it has high fixed carbon content with low sulfur, ash, and porosity. This makes it a superior choice for metal casting, steelmaking, and carbon products production.
However, the energy-intensive process of turning petroleum coke into graphite requires a significant amount of electricity. This can be expensive and wasteful, but the Energy Department’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy program has recently funded a new method of processing petroleum coke that could reduce the energy costs and emissions of traditional graphite production.
This new approach to turning petroleum coke into graphite is called catalytic graphitization and uses iron-based catalysts to change the amorphous carbon of petroleum coke into crystalline, graphitic carbon. The new process eliminates the need for high-temperature heating, reducing both the cost and energy requirements of the process. This is especially beneficial because petroleum coke has a higher sulfur content than the traditional, low-sulfur synthetic graphite produced by coal carbonization.
The current industry process for producing graphite involves repeated roasting for desulfurization and energy-intensive graphitization in an Acheson furnace. These processes consume a large amount of electricity, and they are often difficult to scale up for commercial use. In addition to their high-energy consumption, these conventional approaches require the use of reactants, which add to the cost of the final product.
Researchers at the Texas A&M University Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering, in collaboration with Oxbow Carbon and the Energy Department's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy, are working on a new way to convert petroleum coke into graphite without the need for high temperatures. The team has found that a combination of molten salt electrolytes and iron-based catalysts can perform all the functions needed for desulfurization, impurity removal, and graphitization of high-sulfur petroleum coke at a much lower temperature—950 degC—than the 1700 degC needed by traditional methods.
This low-temperature, high-throughput technology offers several advantages over the current generation of graphite technologies, including a smaller production footprint and reduced operating expenses. It also has the potential to enable new carbon-based materials for energy storage and other advanced applications. This new technology may also improve the overall quality of domestic graphite supplies and establish a secure supply chain for this critical mineral. The National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) is a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) national lab that creates innovative solutions to strengthen the security, affordability and reliability of our nation’s energy systems and natural resources. NETL works collaboratively with partners across the country and around the world to transform energy for all. Located in Albany, Oregon; Morgantown, West Virginia; and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, NETL is an integral part of DOE’s Office of Science. To learn more, visit www.netl.doe.gov.
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