The global calcined petroleum coke market is expected to grow rapidly due to iron & steel production, development in the cement industry, and favorable government initiatives. However, fluctuating crude oil prices will hamper the growth of this market.
Petcoke is a carbonaceous hydrophobic black solid material with a high heating value that is used as fuel in electric power plants, cement kilns and brick and glass manufacturers. Its handling and storage result in gaseous and particulate pollutants.
A high sulfur content in petcoke reduces its market value, and is often incompatible with restrictions on sulfur oxide emissions for environmental considerations. Consequently, a number of methods have been developed to reduce the sulfur content of petcoke.
Calcination (thermal treatment) of RPC results in a material known as CPC, which has very low levels of sulfur and volatiles. It is also electrically conductive, an important property required for aluminium smelting.
When analyzing the composition of petroleum coke it is important to evaluate its physical-chemical characteristics, such as moisture, volatile carbon matter and ash content before and after heat treatment. It is also necessary to assess its mineral composition, such as silicon, alumina and magnesium. In addition, it is useful to measure its organic and inorganic sulphur content as well as its real density. These data are important in determining the suitability of petcoke for use in the production of carbon products such as graphite electrodes and carbon brushes.
The majority of Oxbow’s calcined petroleum coke is used in the aluminum industry. This grade of coke is known as anode grade and is used in the smelting process to make pre-baked anodes, carbon addictive for the carbon industry and graphite electrodes. It also serves as an iron riser and is a raw material in the production of silicon carbide and silicon metal.
It is well-known that vanadium can be recovered from the ashes of crude oil and/or petroleum coke by using sulfuric acid to leach them. However, this method requires special equipment and is expensive.
In addition, the aqueous solution often contains significant amounts of carbon which reabsorbs the leached vanadium and changes the redox potential, thereby reducing the vanadium recovery. This problem can be overcome by using an extracting agent to remove the carbon from the aqueous solution. The preferred extracting agent is a straight chain saturated tertiary or quaternary amine such as Alamine 336.
Petroleum coke is a solid carbon byproduct of crude oil refining, which is made through thermal cracking or "coking" of heavy hydrocarbons to separate out liquid petroleum gas (LPG) and heavier products such as fuel oil. It has a high Carbon content of 90%-97%, and also contains small amounts of Nitrogen and Sulfur which become emissions when it is burned in an electric power plant or calcined.
A large portion of calcined petroleum coke goes into making the carbon anodes used in the Hall-Heroult aluminum smelting process due to its low impurity levels and its ready availability. Other calcined coke is used in cement kilns and as fuel for the firing of solid fuel boilers to produce electricity.
In addition, petcoke is a feedstock for the production of carbon-based chemicals such as activated carbon and synthetic graphite. It is also used in asphalts and as a component of bricks. Recent research indicates that emissions from calcining of petcoke in an industrial facility are below public health air quality standards.
The high-fixed carbon content of petroleum coke makes it an attractive feedstock for many industries. It can also be used as an alternative fuel in some applications, helping to reduce energy costs. However, there are some concerns about the environmental impact of this material.
During oil refining, several products are produced as byproducts, including petroleum coke (sometimes known as petcoke). This carbon-rich solid is the result of delayed coking in Delayed Coking Units and has a number of uses. The most common use is as an energy source, with fuel grade coke being burned in refinery boilers to produce steam and electricity.
Other important uses include as an Aluminum Smelter Anode and Graphite Electrode, as an Iron Riser for EAF steel production, and as a carbon raiser in specialty castables. It can also be calcined to create other carbon products, such as activated carbon and regenerated char.
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