Scale-up Production of Graphite, Carbon Fibers and other Products from Coal and Coal Refuse

The objectives of this field work proposal are to demonstrate the use of coal and coal refuse feedstocks to manufacture carbon and graphite fibers at semi-production scale at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) Carbon Fiber Technology Facility and to manufacture graphite particles for lithium-ion battery anodes and other energy storage applications at multi-kilogram scale. This work builds on the activities and results associated with projects FWP-FEAA155 and FWP-FEAA157 that ORNL has led in collaboration with the University of Kentucky's Center for Applied Energy Research, which identified multiple pathways to utilize coal and coal refuse as feedstocks to manufacture carbon fibers, graphite fibers, and graphite particles for energy storage devices. This project will also conduct market, technical, economic, and environmental analyses to assess the market viability of carbon fibers, graphite fibers, and anodes for lithium-ion batteries derived from coal and coal refuse.