COMPARISON OF THE CHARACTERISTICS OF PITCH COKE AND PETROLEUM COKE

Pitch coke has been made in the laboratory by the carbonization of coal tar hard pitch. The pitch has been treated with benzene, toluene, xylene, quinoline and trichloroethylene, and the oxidative behavior of the insoluble portions obtained in various solvents has been studied. Bulk densities and mechanical strengths of the pitch coke have been compared with those of petroleum coke in different size fractions. Desorption of surface oxygen complexes on the pitch coke has been studied and values of oxygen as CO//2 and CO obtained for pitch coke have been compared with those of petroleum coke. The fact that pitch coke gave a carbon product of higher strength than that made from petroleum coke has been correlated with the total amount of oxygen obtained as CO//2, CO and H//2O by thermal decomposition of the surface complexes on carbons.