MATERIAL – ELECTRODE
Impregnating coal tar pitch is a useful industrial material. National Research Development Corporation has developed a technology to produce it.
Impregnating pitch is used in large quantities to densify graphite electrodes, employed in steel and chemical industry. Besides this, it is also used in the development of advanced carbon products like high performance carbon fiber, needle coke (which is a premium grade coke used in the manufacture of graphite electrodes,) high-density high-strength graphite and carbon-carbon composites which has many potential applications.
NRDC’s technology is based on “catalyst aided thermal polymerization.” It explains the process thus: In this process, aromatic rich feedstock is subjected to thermal soaking at atmospheric pressure and in inert atmosphere. During thermal soaking cracking of alkyl side chains, polymerization and condensation reactions take place, which leads to formation of pitch.
The novelty of this process is the addition of small dose of selective organic free radical initiator catalyzes the above reactions at a faster rate resulting increased in throughput.
NRDC says its process can be used for making some other types of specialized pitches suitable for productions of carbon fibers and needle coke etc. It says the process is also very energy-efficient.
Those interested should go to https://bit.ly/3bnp0dK and click on ‘Express Interest’ box.
