Petcoke is a by-product of petroleum refining and contains a variety of impurities. These include volatile hydrocarbons and elemental forms of nitrogen, sulfur, nickel, and vanadium.
Studies of water extracts from soils contaminated with petcoke have shown that levels of PAHs and metals are low and comparable to control soil background concentrations.
The air pollution caused by calcined petroleum coke production is mostly due to fugitive dust emissions. This dust is blown off stockpiled coke during extreme weather conditions and can accumulate on residential property adjacent to the piles. It has the potential to cause or exacerbate respiratory ailments in humans. Although mutagenicity studies have found that petcoke is not carcinogenic, its toxicity as fine particulate matter warrants further investigation.
The calcining process converts GPC into a high-quality carbon material with low ash content and a high carbon content. It can be used for various carbon products, including graphite electrodes and carbon brushes. It is also being explored as a fuel source for fuel cells.
Its brittle nature makes it unlikely that metals and organic compounds will leach from undisturbed petcoke. However, human exposure to petcoke occurs through inhalation of fugitive dust and fibers generated during handling, storage and transportation. Exposure to petcoke can cause acute inflammatory responses in humans. Exposure to this material also causes increased urinary excretion of 1-hydroxypyrene (1-HP), a biomarker of PAHs exposure.
Refineries use petroleum coke to offset the high energy costs of upgrading crude oil into gasoline and middle distillate-range fuels. It can also be burned to produce electricity in refinery boilers. The coke is a solid, black-colored byproduct of petroleum refining. It contains a mixture of carbon, volatile and non-volatile organic compounds, metals, and other inorganic materials.
Fugitive dusts from petcoke stockpiles can be carried by wind and deposited in waterways. These deposits can contain PAHs, metals and other contaminants. However, based on the glassy nature of petcoke, dermal exposure is unlikely.
In addition to monitoring fugitive emissions, we need better data on the flow and use of petcoke in China. In particular, we need to know where the fuel is consumed and in what type of boilers it is combusted. We also need to understand its effects on sulfur dioxide and greenhouse gas emissions. In the long term, we need to promote cleaner technologies for burning petcoke, such as circulating fluidized bed boilers.
Petcoke is a solid byproduct of petroleum refinery processes to upgrade crude oil into gasoline and middle distillate-range fuels. The coke is a black-colored solid with a low ash content that contains traces of metals and volatile hydrocarbons. It is also a source of energy for the production of metals and chemicals, but it has high greenhouse gas emissions.
The calcination process involves placing green petroleum coke in a rotary kiln, where it is heated to high temperatures. This eliminates moisture, extracts any remaining hydrocarbons, and modifies the crystalline structure of the coke. The resulting calcined petroleum coke is a high-purity carbon material that has numerous industrial uses, including as an alternative to coal in power plants.
Local residents have expressed concerns about the potential impact of fugitive dusts and runoff from petcoke storage and combustion facilities. Although fugitive emissions are often below public health standards, they still pose a risk to humans and wildlife. To mitigate these risks, policymakers should employ economic instruments to internalize environmental costs, including implementing import tariffs and carbon pricing schemes. They should also promote cleaner technologies, such as circulating fluidized bed (CFB) boilers, to reduce sulfur dioxide and other emissions from petcoke combustion.
Communities near open piles of petcoke have become concerned about possible health effects from exposure to fugitive dust, which can be blown off the petcoke by wind and weather conditions. Several studies have shown that people living in the neighborhoods surrounding petcoke storage facilities are more likely to develop lung and heart ailments than those in other areas of the city.
However, these studies do not indicate that the emissions from calcining petroleum coke are toxic. In addition, the trace metals emitted by petcoke, such as nickel and vanadium, are common to most fossil fuel-based emissions.
Unlike GPC, calcined coke has low impurity levels and is readily available for aluminum anode production. Coke used in the Hall-Heroult aluminum smelting process must be calcined to drive out the volatile matter (VM), as well as to transform it into a form that is electrically conductive. Otherwise, the anodes will crack and shrink during baking, producing unacceptable quality carbons.
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