Upgrading Delayed Petroleum Coke Fines by the Use of Pitch Binders

Syrian petroleum coke, produced by a delayed coking unit, is characterized by a high percentage of fines which tends to reduce its commercial value. Blending coke fines using appropriate binders, such as bitumen and polyacrylic acid, can lead, however, to an improved coke that is similar in structure, appearance and other properties to better-quality coke lumps. In this work, samples of Syrian coke fines were blended with Polyacrylic acid or bitumen and thermally treated at high temperatures and increased residence time in an inert atmosphere of nitrogen at atmospheric pressure. This treatment led to a general improvement of the petcoke qualities. The rate of desulphurization obtained as a result of the thermal treatment was 88% for most coke fines. A small overall reduction in the calorific value of the treated coke was also observed, but this was less than 8% in general.