Calcined petroleum coke is a critical raw material for the aluminum industry. It is used to make carbon anodes for electrolytic aluminum production. Rain Carbon is one of the world’s leading producers of CPC.
The market’s key segmentation is based on grade. Anode-grade calcined petcoke held the majority share of market revenue in 2022.
Petroleum coke is a carbon fuel that resembles coal and is a byproduct of oil refining. It is a result of the final cracking process that breaks large petroleum hydrocarbon molecules into smaller components. This process is called thermal cracking, and it leaves a residue of heavy petroleum products known as bitumens and a carbon-rich solid called coke.
The coke is categorized as either fuel or anode grade. Fuel-grade coke has a sponge or shot coke morphology and is high in sulfur and metals. Anode-grade coke is low in sulfur and metals. Both types of coke are used as a carbon source in industrial processes.
Calcined petcoke production is a complex and energy-intensive process that requires specialized equipment. The calcining process can generate significant emissions of particulate matter and gaseous pollutants. This risk characterization assessed exposure concentrations of ambient air pollutants from a petroleum coke calcining facility and compared them to standards protective of public health.
In the aluminum industry, calcined petroleum coke (CPC) is critical for producing carbon anodes used to produce aluminum. The process involves heating the coke to high temperatures, which removes volatile material and increases electrical conductivity. CPC is also used to produce graphite and titanium dioxide.
Rain Carbon operates seven plants in the United States and India that produce a combined 2.4 million tons of calcined coke per year. This allows us to provide a reliable supply of this essential byproduct of oil refining, and we are working to reduce our environmental footprint.
Our plants use rotary kilns to calcine GPC and coal tar pitch (CTP) into high-value carbon-based products such as anode and graphite electrodes, activated carbon, and coal tar wax. These products are used in a wide variety of applications including water treatment, air purification, and the production of petroleum coke-based fuel cells. These products are important for reducing global energy consumption, limiting carbon emissions, and protecting the environment.
Natural gas is a clean-burning energy source that produces less carbon dioxide and other pollutants than coal. As a result, it is used as an alternative to petroleum coke and other fossil fuels for power generation. The resulting electricity is then distributed throughout the nation’s grid, providing clean and reliable energy for homes, businesses, and industries.
The calcination process for petroleum coke is energy intensive. This is why many rotary kilns have waste heat recovery systems. These systems capture the heat from the combustion of calcined coke and use it to produce steam. The steam can then be used for power generation or sold to nearby industrial plants.
The supply of low sulfur (Category A) GPC for aluminum smelting has become tight. This trend is evident in the graph below, which shows that average V levels in anode grade coke shipped from Rain CII Carbon’s US calciners to aluminum smelters have moved closer to specification maximums over the last 20 years.
Coke calcination is a process in which green petroleum coke is heated to drive off volatile material and purify it for further use. Aluminum smelters require high quality calcined coke to produce carbon anodes. It is also used as a recarburizer in the steel industry and to manufacture titanium dioxide pigments.
The majority of Oxbow’s calcined coke is sold to the primary aluminum industry where it is used as a recarburizer. However, the steel and chemical industries also consume large quantities of calcined coke. The recarburizer is also used as a fuel in coal-to-electricity plants.
The calcining process produces energy in the form of steam. This steam can be used to generate electricity or be sold. The rotary kilns that are used for calcining GPC are usually equipped with waste heat recovery systems to capture the energy that would otherwise be lost. These systems allow the calciners to meet emission standards for SO2, NOx, PM10 and VOC.
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