The future technology research and development directions of graphitized petroleum coke mainly focus on the following aspects:
High-Purity and Low-Impurity Technologies
By improving delayed coking processes and deep desulfurization techniques, the sulfur, ash, and other impurity contents in petroleum coke can be reduced. For example, Sinopec Qingdao Refinery has lowered the sulfur content to below 0.3%, meeting the demand for low-sulfur petroleum coke in the new energy sector. In the future, it is necessary to further develop efficient deashing technologies to reduce the ash content from 8-10 wt% to below 1 wt%, thereby enhancing material purity and performance stability.
Customized Development of High-End Products
Specialized petroleum coke products should be developed for high-end fields such as lithium battery anode materials and photovoltaic silicon feedstock reducing agents. For instance, power battery-specific coke must meet indicators such as sulfur content <0.5% and ash content <0.3% to improve battery energy density and cycle life. Additionally, photovoltaic-grade petroleum coke requires optimized pore structures to enhance reduction efficiency and lower silicon feedstock production costs.
Deep Processing and High-Value-Added Utilization
Deep-processed products such as needle coke and carbon fibers should be developed to increase industry value-added. As the core raw material for ultra-high-power graphite electrodes, needle coke has seen significant growth in demand within electric arc furnace steelmaking and the new energy supply chain. For example, Jinzhou Petrochemical has achieved long-term production of needle coke, meeting high-end market demands.
Environmentally Friendly and Green Production Technologies
In response to increasingly stringent environmental policies, low-pollution and low-energy-consumption production processes should be developed. For example, molten salt electrolysis can achieve graphitization below 1000°C, reducing energy consumption by 40% compared to traditional high-temperature and high-pressure methods (above 2000°C) and being applicable to various carbonaceous raw materials. Furthermore, fluidized bed activation technology prevents agglomeration by introducing inert particles, shortening activation time to 2-8 hours and further reducing energy consumption.
Precise Pore Structure Control Technologies
Through gradient activation and in-situ doping techniques, the pore structure of petroleum coke-based porous carbons can be regulated to enhance material performance. For example, employing an H₂O/CO₂ synergistic activation mechanism forms a micropore-mesopore composite structure (mesopore ratio of 20%-60%) to suit different application scenarios. Simultaneously, introducing NH₃ or H₃PO₄ enables nitrogen/phosphorus atom doping (doping levels of 1-5 at%), enhancing conductivity and surface activity.
Expansion of Applications in the New Energy Sector
New energy materials such as petroleum coke-based activated carbon and supercapacitor carbon should be developed. For example, petroleum coke-based porous carbon, as the “golden partner” for silicon anodes, improves cycle stability by 300% through pore structure regulation (50-500 nm closed pore structure) to buffer silicon volume expansion. It is projected that the global market size will exceed 120 billion yuan by 2030, with a compound annual growth rate of 25%.
Intelligent and Automated Production Technologies
Leveraging the Internet of Things (IoT) and blockchain technologies can enhance production efficiency and product quality. For example, intelligent warehousing enables real-time inventory monitoring, improving response speed by 50%. Blockchain traceability provides “carbon footprint” certification for products, meeting EU ESG investment requirements.
Post time: Sep-24-2025