Biochar petroleum coke products and methods

Abstract

Methods of producing a biochar petroleum coke product comprises blending a biochar with green petroleum coke, agglomerating the mixture with a binder to form a plurality of agglomerates, and calcining the plurality of agglomerates to form the biochar petroleum coke product. Biochar petroleum coke products comprise petroleum coke, at least 3 wt % biochar, less than 5 wt % sulfur, less than 0.5 wt % hydrogen, and less than 2 wt % ash.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of producing a biochar petroleum coke product, the method comprising the steps of:
 blending a biochar with green petroleum coke, wherein the green petroleum coke has an average particle size of from about 0.01 mm to about 5 mm and a volatile content from about 3 to about 20 wt % to form a mixture;   agglomerating the mixture with a binder, which can include water, to form a plurality of agglomerates; and   calcining the plurality of agglomerates at a temperature of at least 1000° C. to form the biochar petroleum coke product, wherein the biochar petroleum coke product comprises at least 3 wt % to at least 50 wt % biochar.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein at least about 50%, or at least about 60%, or at least about 75%, or at least about 85% of the green petroleum coke has a particle size of less than 5 mm. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of agglomerates has a particle size of from about 0.01 mm to about 10 mm for pellets and up to 40 mm for briquettes. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the binder is an organic binder. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the binder comprises at least one of ammonium or calcium lignosulfonate, sodium silicate, starch, polyvinyl alcohol, CMC, sugar, molasses, dextrin, clay, bentonite and other commonly available binders or a combination thereof. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the binder is a pitch type binder including the common forms of coal tar pitch and petroleum pitch. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the agglomerating step includes a pellet mill or press, extrusion, spherical pelletizing equipment like pin and disk pelletizers, and/or hydraulic pressurization including briquetting to form the agglomerates. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the calcining step is conducted at a temperature of at least about 1000° C. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the calcining step is conducted at a temperature to at least about 1100° C. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the calcining step is conducted at a temperature to at least about 1200° C. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the calcining step further comprises increasing the bulk density of the plurality of agglomerates by at least 10%. 
     
     
         12 . A biochar petroleum coke product comprising:
 petroleum coke;   at least 3 wt % biochar;   less than 5 wt % sulfur;   less than 0.5 wt % hydrogen; and   less than 2 wt % ash,   wherein the biochar petroleum coke product has a density from about 0.6 to about 1.0 g/cm 3 .   
     
     
         13 . The biochar petroleum coke product of  claim 12 , comprising at least 5 wt % biochar. 
     
     
         14 . The biochar petroleum coke product of  claim 12 , wherein the biochar petroleum coke product has a tapped bulk density from about 0.6 to about 1 g/cm 3 . 
     
     
         15 . The biochar petroleum coke product of  claim 12 , comprising from about 40 wt % to about 95 wt % petroleum coke. 
     
     
         16 . The biochar petroleum coke product of  claim 12 , wherein the petroleum coke comprises an average particle size of from about 0.01 mm to about 5 mm, or from about 0.01 mm to about 3 mm, or from about 0.01 mm to about 2 mm. 
     
     
         17 . The biochar petroleum coke product of  claim 12 , where the starting green petroleum coke and biochar materials are milled to a fine particle size such as 90%-200 Tyler mesh or about 75 μm. 
     
     
         18 . The biochar petroleum coke product of  claim 12 , wherein the biochar petroleum coke product has a crush strength from about 20 lbs. to about 100 lbs. 
     
     
         19 . The biochar petroleum coke product of  claim 12 , wherein the biochar petroleum coke product has a hardness from about 25 to about 50 on a Hardgrove Grindability Index scale (HGI). 
     
     
         20 . A method for the manufacturing of aluminum anodes formed from the biochar petroleum coke product of  claim 12 . 
     
     
         21 . A method for the manufacturing of titanium dioxide from the biochar petroleum coke product of  claim 12 . 
     
     
         22 . A method for the manufacturing of other metallurgical products including steel, ferro-alloys and other products from the biochar petroleum coke product of  claim 12 .