This marks the second most glorious turning point in the history of petroleum coke

A Contemporary “Epic”: The Coronation of the King in the Lithium Battery Era

This marks the second most glorious turning point in the history of petroleum coke.

Origin

In the 1990s, Sony Corporation successfully commercialized lithium-ion batteries. Finding a suitable negative electrode material became crucial. Scientists experimented with various carbon materials.

Why Petroleum Coke?

After graphitization treatment, petroleum coke features a layered graphite structure that provides an ideal “hotel” for the insertion and extraction of lithium ions. It boasts comprehensive advantages such as high specific capacity, long cycle life, and stable voltage platform.

From Lab to Global Industry

Early Stage (1990s – 2000s)

Japanese companies (such as Hitachi Chemical) took the lead in technology, establishing the mainstream status of petroleum coke-based graphite negative electrodes.

Expansion (2000s – 2010s)

With the widespread popularity of smartphones and laptops, demand soared. Korean and Chinese enterprises caught up, leading to a rapid expansion of global negative electrode material production capacity. The demand for high-quality needle coke grew exponentially.

Intense Competition (2010s – Present)

The global electric vehicle wave swept in. Power batteries imposed extremely high requirements on the performance, cost, and consistency of negative electrode materials. This triggered:

• Technological Competition: The competition and integration between artificial graphite (made from needle coke), natural graphite, and silicon-carbon negative electrodes.
• Supply Chain Scramble: The global competition for high-quality needle coke resources intensified. Its price and supply stability became one of the key factors affecting battery costs.

Summary: Lessons from History

The history of graphitized petroleum coke is a typical industrial epic of “problem-driven innovation and demand-reshaped value.”

It started as a “problem” in oil refining (waste disposal).

Through the “catalyst” of war (demand for electric arc furnaces) and the “nourishment” of basic industries (aluminum industry), it completed its first upgrade.

Under the “pressure” of environmental protection and the “revolution” in energy, it seized a historic opportunity and was finally crowned king in the digital age and the electric vehicle revolution.