Graphite manufacture

The principal binder material, coal-tar pitch, is produced by the distillation of coal tar. Coal tar is obtained primarily as a by-product of the destmctive distillation of bituminous coal in coke ovens during the production of metallurgical coke. Petroleum pitch is used to a much lesser extent as a binder in carbon and graphite manufacture. Because of its low sohds content, petroleum pitch is used as an impregnant to strengthen carbon artifacts prior to graphitization. 

Figure 3. Effects of blend composition on CTE of graphites manufactured from VWGS 13421 derived products...

Two different natural graphites manufactured by Superior Graphite Co. (SL-20 and LBG-73) were tested as received on the possibility of using as anode of a cylindrical Li-ion battery. For comparison, typical synthetic graphite KS-15 from Lonza was examined. 

Ragan, S., and Marsh, H., Review science and technology of graphite manufacture, Journal cf Materials Science, 1983,18,3161 3176. 

Specimens. Rods of A.U.F. graphite manufactured by the National Carbon Division of the Union Carbide and Carbon Corporation served as specimens. This graphite had been prepared from highly calcined petroleum coke, mixed with pitch and extruded. It had been fired at 750°C. for six to seven weeks to remove volatiles and then at 3000°C. for four to six weeks to graphitize the material. The rods had an average density of 1.6 to 1.7 g./cm.3 and an average ash content of 0.02%. 

Figure 1. Flowchart of processes involved in graphite manufacture.

FIGURE 2.53 Schematic of a typical step-by-step PAN-based graphite manufacturing process. 

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