【Needle coke】Overview of China's needle coke development process and industrial chain

Overview

Needle coke is the main raw material for manufacturing high-grade graphite electrodes. According to different raw materials, it can be divided into two types: petroleum and coal. The needle coke produced from petroleum heavy oil is a petroleum based, and the needle coke produced from coal tar pitch and its fractions is a coal based. The two types of needle coke have different production processes, but their uses are basically the same. From the external morphology, there are obvious stripes, and the gap direction inside the focal block is uniform, presenting a slender oval shape. When the coke fragments collide, they will become needle shaped. Needle coke is a dense fibrous coke, also known as high-quality coke. It differs significantly from sponge coke in properties, characterized by high density, high strength, and low coefficient of thermal expansion. It has significant anisotropy in thermal conductivity, electricity, magnetism, light and other aspects. 

Development history

China began to introduce needle coke technology in the 1970s and 1980s, and gradually broke the monopoly of the United States and Japan in the 21st century. With the continuous growth of China's coking capacity and the continuous improvement of product quality, the dependence on imports is gradually reduced. Since 2021, due to the significant increase in demand for negative electrodes and raw materials, needle coke price has steadily increased, and the industry's operating rate has gradually rebounded.

There are four main production technologies for coal based needle coke: vacuum distillation, solvent extraction, M-L method, and flash evaporation polycondensation. From the perspective of the domestic market, the main brands mainly include Japan, the United States, and many domestic enterprises. Mitsubishi Chemical, Nippon Steel, KOA, Conoco, and others all occupy a certain share in the domestic market. At the present stage, the leading enterprises of needle coke in China mainly include: Liaoning Baolai, Shandong Yida, Shandong Jingyang, Jinzhou Petrochemical, Shanxi Hongte, Taiyuan Shenghong, and so on.

Industrial chain

Needle coke industry upstream is petroleum residue, coal tar pitch, distillate and so on. Needle coke industry downstream mainly includes iron and steel industry, graphite electrode, lithium ion battery, electrochemical capacitor, etc. From the perspective of the market atmosphere in the needle coke industry, in recent, the prices of petroleum coke and calcined petroleum coke have increased significantly , and some purchasers may turn to needle coke. Industry insiders believe that due to strong demand for downstream raw materials and rising crude oil prices, needle coke price still has room to rise. Our platform provides information and product guidance on needle coke and related products. Welcome to contact us.