Carbonization of petroleum binders. 1. Characteristics of solid products

Solid products of carbonization of residues (i.e. cokes) of vacuum distillation of crude oil, asphalt, and pitch have been studied. The objective was to determine the changes of composition and structure of cokes in relation to temperature. Investigations of elemental composition, functional group content, microscopic analysis, and X-ray diffraction of the products showed that with increasing temperature of carbonization, the degree of structure ordering, the dimensions of the pores, and the intensity of optical anisotropy of the cokes increases, as do the carbon, sulphur, and nitrogen contents; however, volatile matter, hydrogen, and functional-group contents in the cokes decrease.