IMPECABL

A new process for preparing pitches from anthracene oil has been developed. This process, named 'Ecopitch process', involved four sequential cycles each of which included a thermal oxidative condensation step followed by thermal treatment and distillation. The unreacted anthracene oil obtained in each cycle was used as the feedstock for the next cycle. It was observed that the unreactive anthracene oil required severer operational conditions (i.e. temperature) for being polymerised as the number of processing cycles increased. After four cycles, the polymerisation capability of the anthracene oil was depleted. Bulk samples and their fractions from all stages of the process were characterised in terms of their molecular mass distribution and structural features. These samples were used to develop and validate methods based on laser desorption mass spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance. The pyrolysis behaviour and the capacity of the anthracene oil derivatives to generate carbon materials were also investigated. The feasibility of using anthracene oil derivatives as impregnation and binder agents in the production of graphite electrodes was studied.