Coal-tar-pitch
(CTP) is a fossil carbon material, currently used
as a the binder in carbon anode manufacturing process. Regardless
of the technical benefits of coal-tar-pitch, it contains polycyclic
aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), known to be carcinogenic for humans
and detrimental to the environment. To overcome this challenge, research
was carried out to search for a suitable substitution with health-
and environmental-friendly properties. Bio-pitch, produced from bio-oil,
could be a potential alternative binder for the carbon anode manufacturing
process, due to its similarity with CTP. However, the properties of
bio-pitch could be significantly different from those of CTP depending
on its origins and process conditions. This study focuses on the synthesis
of bio-pitches from bio-oil under different vacuum extraction conditions
and characterization of its physical and chemical properties, aiming
at the determination of the conditions that may result in suitable
properties for anode formulation. Both typical characterization and
profound chemical analysis of bio-pitches were carried out, including
the determination of density, softening point, coking value, quinoline
insolubles, PAH content, molecular weight, viscosity, and elemental
composition and the identification of chemical structures. In addition,
the condensed fraction produced was also analyzed to identify the
reaction mechanisms occurring during the pyrolysis process.
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