Coal derived materials thought to be next step for Australia's coal and manufacturing industries
Researchers at The University of Newcastle have been developing new uses for coal that may help expand the market for this economically significant commodity into a low CO2 emissions future.
Coal’s primary markets, as a source of energy for electricity and coke for metallurgical applications, have long overshadowed its potential as a source of carbon materials for broader applications. Dr Rohan Stanger and Emeritus Professor Terry Wall of Chemical Engineering have been developing processes to allow coal-derived materials to supply the needs of the renewable energy and manufacturing industries.
The basis of these processes is coal fluidity. Under certain conditions the components of coal become fluid, a property that has long been exploited for coke manufacture. In its fluid state the material can be manipulated by methods like extrusion, sintering and spinning to form different carbon products.
Two parallel products are being developed. The first is a carbon foam material. This work is being pursued in collaboration with the New Zealand Institute of Minerals to Materials Research (NZIMMR). Samples produced so far have exhibited favourable strength and electrical properties for use as a low-density structural material and an energy storage medium. Industry interest is being sought in areas as diverse as roof tiling, the space industry, and grid-scale electricity storage. Follow-up projects aim to further refine the coal preparation and manufacturing methods needed to target properties beneficial for different applications.
The Coal Innovation Fund has also contributed funding to further the development of a coal to carbon fibre product, see full story here. If successful, this research could result in a carbon fibre product that is over 50% cheaper to manufacture than that produced with existing precursors. To date, coal-derived fibres have been electrospun in a mix with a Polyarcylonitrile (PAN) precursor by collaborators at Deakin, but projects underway at The University of Newcastle should see fibres being spun from coal alone in the near future. Provisional patents have been lodged on this process and industry collaboration and licensing discussions are underway with partner organisations.
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