New Technology: Play A Role In Manufacturing Low-Cost Carbon Fiber From Crude Oil Residue

As we know, carbon fiber composites are usually composed of braided carbon fiber and epoxy adhesive. Of course, this material is often expensive. This is because polyacrylonitrile, a precursor chemical commonly used for spinning into fibers, is quite expensive in itself. Therefore, scientists have been looking for more cost-effective sources of carbon fiber. 　　

Many dirty by-products will be left after crude oil processing. A new study shows that several of these materials can be used to manufacture low-cost carbon fiber, and then can be used to manufacture lower cost carbon fiber composites.

One candidate that has been considered previously is a molecular substance called asphaltene. They are components of crude oil and are separated from crude oil during refining. As can be seen from their names, they are used for asphalt production and other purposes.

They can also be spun into carbon fibers, although they break easily. After the final heat treatment step of the spinning process (in which the asphaltene fiber is carbonized), the fiber yield is relatively low.

Considering these shortcomings, Mani Sarathy of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Saudi Arabia The professor and his colleagues recently studied another by-product of crude oil processing - resin.

Edwin Guevara Romero, Researcher of Sarathy Laboratory Said: "Previous research on petroleum residue shows that resin can stabilize asphaltene molecules, highlighting its strong molecular affinity. This leads us to speculate that mixing asphaltene with resin can produce synergistic raw materials for carbon fiber production."

Laboratory tests found that the fluidity of this asphaltene resin mixture was better than that of the asphaltene alone, so it could be spun at a lower and more energy-saving temperature. After carbonization, the fiber is also not easy to break, and its performance is similar to the existing medium and high strength isotropic carbon fiber.

In addition, collecting asphaltene and resin can make the remaining crude oil processing residues easier to deal with.

　　Sarathy Said: "Traditionally, petroleum residues have been used for very low value applications such as road paving. By extracting the heaviest asphaltene and resin for high-value carbon fiber manufacturing, the remaining residual oil can also be more easily processed into cleaner fuels or valuable small molecules, thereby further improving the economy of the process."