Carcinogen reduction-from pitch to product
Developed in Spain, the new process of using a petroleum residue to manufacture petroleum pitch offers a suitable replacement for standard coal-pitch substances that has a low content of CTPV (Coal Tar Pitch Volatiles). Coal tar pitch is used for a wide variety of industries, from tiling to aluminium to carbon bonded refractories. As such, this development not only has a wide spread potential, it also offers these industries more competitiveness as it is far less dangerous to human health and more environmentally friendly than traditional pitch products. Two routes were evaluated in the development of this technology. The first of these was thermal processing, and the second was super-critical fluid extraction. Both at a large scale and in laboratory processing, a suitable route was identified for pitch production that possesses characteristics suitable for carbon fibre and activated carbon elaboration. While research is still underway in efforts to further develop the technology the current development is quite capable of producing a variety of petroleum pitches suitable for a wide range of purposes merely by adapting the process parameters. As a substitute for coal tar pitch, petroleum pitch not only offers the very best option currently available in regards to human health in that it displays a 90% reduction in carcinogenic potential, but offers industry a means by which they can better meet with ever increasingly stringent environmental policies.
