New Funding Awarded to Create Carbon Fibres Derived from Coal

Two US Department of Energy (DOE) today National Laboratories, the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) are working with the University of Kentucky and the Pennsylvania State University to further the research and development of coal-derived carbon fibers.

This research, valued at US$10 million, will investigate all aspects of coal-derived carbon fibre production – from computational chemistry and pitch processing to the final spinning and heat treatment process of the fibres. The aim is to produce fibres with superior properties at a lower cost than currently available.

Through this effort, ORNL researchers will work to understand the chemistry and processing conditions required to produce different grades of coal-derived carbon fibre. NETL, ORNL, and the university teams will work closely to diversify U.S. coal use in domestic manufacturing while making coal and coal-based products more attractive for export.

Because of competition from low-priced natural gas and incentivised renewable energy, the market for coal in the electric power generation sector is decreasing. However, coal-to-products opportunities can develop new markets for coal, which have the potential to offset this decrease.

Source: Composites Today