(580e) Production and Blending of Biomass-Derived Calcined Coke Using a Rotary Tube Furnace

The aluminum industry relies on calcined petroleum coke as an anode material for smelting of aluminum oxide into aluminum metal. Depending on the starting oxygen content, biomass pyrolysis oils can be distilled and the residues thermally treated into calcined coke. While early studies have shown promise based on elemental and physical properties, their integration with and production from rotary calciners has yet to be realized. Using a rotary tube furnace, we performed continuous calcination of petroleum coke blends with biocoke. We used bio-coke with an oxygen content of ~13 wt%. A solids feeder conveyed the blends at controlled feed rates. Overall, the lab furnace proved capable of converting green petroleum coke into calcined petroleum coke with the properties specified by the industry. We successfully decreased the concentration of problematic trace metals (Ni, V, S, etc.) via blending and co-calcining. The average crystallite height (Lc) decreased from 26.5 to 25.6 Å, which still remains within typical specifications. However, as evidenced through microscopy, some amorphous carbon remained in the product.