Domestic coal-based general-grade pitch-based carbon fiber technology progresses and the industry is entering the pilot stage

Pitch-based carbon fiber refers to a type of carbon fiber prepared from materials rich in condensed aromatic hydrocarbons such as pitch, through polymerization, spinning, infusibility, and carbonization. According to the difference in properties, pitch-based carbon fiber can be divided into general-purpose pitch-based carbon fiber and high-performance pitch-based carbon fiber. According to the composition of raw materials, pitch-based carbon fiber can be divided into petroleum-based pitch fiber and coal-based pitch-based carbon fiber.

As far as coal-based general-grade pitch-based carbon fibers are concerned, although my country began to carry out research on coal pitch-based carbon fibers in the 1970s, due to the limitations of the technical level at that time, the prepared coal pitch-based carbon fiber products had poor performance and were unable to meet the needs of the market. need. In recent years, with the increase in domestic research efforts and national policy support for the coal-based new material industry, institutions represented by the Shanxi Institute of Coal Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Wuhai Baohua Wanchen Coal Chemical Co., Ltd. have mastered the general-level coal-based materials The preparation method of pitch-based carbon fiber using spinnable pitch effectively solves the problem of coal-based general-grade pitch-based carbon fiber raw materials.

At the same time, according to the “China Coal-based General Grade Pitch-Based Carbon Fiber Market Feasibility Research Report 2022-2026” released by the Industrial Research Center shows that domestic companies have mastered the core technology of coal-based general-grade pitch-based carbon fiber and have built pilot projects to verify the coal-based pitch-based general-grade carbon fiber technology, such as the 100-ton/ 2019 coal-based general-grade pitch-based melt-blown carbon fiber research and development project. This project will use low-value-added ordinary coal-based pitch as raw material to produce general-grade carbon fiber.

In addition, Tongchuan Tiance New Material Technology Co., Ltd. plans to build a 100-ton high-performance pitch-based carbon fiber production line and a 1,000-ton general-purpose pitch-based carbon fiber production line. Currently, Tongchuan Tiance New Material Technology Co., Ltd. is already building 50 tons of pitch-based carbon fiber. Shanxi Coking Co., Ltd. also plans to build a 10-ton/year coal-based general-grade pitch carbon fiber filament pilot production line. Overall, domestic coal-based general-grade pitch-based carbon fiber is entering the pilot stage.

Industry analysts said that under the national policy of promoting the high-end, diversified and low-carbon development of the coal chemical industry, the domestic coal industry General-purpose pitch-based carbon fiber will usher in development opportunities. From the perspective of application prospects, on the one hand, coal-based general-grade pitch-based carbon fiber can be used to replace asbestos products to make brake pads for cars, tractors, etc.; on the other hand, it can be compounded with other materials and used in non-structural materials such as cement reinforcement, plastics, and rubber. of enhancement. Moreover, coal-based general-grade pitch-based carbon fiber raw materials are in sufficient supply with low cost and price advantages. In the future, with the realization of large-scale production of coal-based general-grade pitch-based carbon fiber and the development of new application fields of coal-based general-grade pitch-based carbon fiber, the market demand for coal-based general-grade pitch-based carbon fiber will expand.