Novel coal liquefaction course of permits manufacturing of premium carbon supplies with important environmental and financial advantages
TAIYUAN, China, July 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — A novel expertise that converts odd coal into premium carbon supplies took heart stage at an business convention held in Taiyuan, Shanxi province, this May. Developed by Zhaoqing Shunxin Coal Chemical Industry Technology Co., Ltd. and Guangdong Coal-based Carbon Materials Research Co., Ltd., the coal liquefaction-to-premium carbon supplies course of was reviewed by an professional panel in October 2025. A panel organized by the China International Association for the Promotion of Science and Technology, comprising specialists from the coal, vitality, and supplies sectors, assessed the expertise as having achieved an internationally main degree, citing its progressive idea, superior expertise and possible course of. The panel additional beneficial accelerating commercialization and industrial utility.
The technological fringe of the coal-to-premium carbon supplies course of rests on three core pillars:
1. Precision Molecular Conversion Based on Quantum Chemistry
Based on fashionable quantum chemistry, the method classifies and makes use of 11 structural sorts and 6 useful teams in coal throughout two conversion pathways. Specifically, molecular constructions with bond energies beneath 500 kJ/mol are transformed into oil and gasoline, whereas fragrant hydrocarbons with bond energies exceeding 2,000 kJ/mol are remodeled into condensed-ring pitch. This pitch contains 80% fragrant ring constructions and comprises simply 0.01% ash, making it a perfect feedstock for premium carbon supplies. The liquefaction course of operates underneath gentle circumstances, enabling exact and controllable conversion.
2. Superior Performance of End Products Derived from Condensed-Ring Pitch
Premium carbon supplies produced from this pitch, together with carbon foams, carbon fibers, 3D graphene, super-activated carbons, and supercapacitor-grade activated carbons, provide efficiency that considerably exceeds that of typical porous carbons and activated carbons used in capacitors. The carbon foam’s flame retardancy considerably exceeds China’s nationwide Class An ordinary and meets the necessities for navy and aerospace functions.
3. Substantial Environmental and Economic Gains
From an environmental standpoint, the method converts roughly 60% of the carbon in coal into carbon supplies, lowering CO₂ emissions by roughly 2 tons per ton of coal processed, whereas producing nearly no waste gasoline, wastewater, or stable residue. Economically, the expertise transforms coal from a commodity priced at a whole bunch to 1000’s of yuan per ton into carbon supplies valued at tens of 1000’s to a whole bunch of 1000’s of yuan per ton.
China has ample coal assets however comparatively restricted oil and pure gasoline reserves. Clean and environment friendly coal utilization has remained a authorities precedence for years, and the nation has already established international management in coal-to-liquids and coal-to-olefins applied sciences. Now, it’s advancing into a brand new area: premium useful carbon supplies derived from coal. This marks a basic shift-a generational transformation in conventional coal chemical engineering. At its core, the expertise works by rearranging electron distributions and exactly regulating crystal lattice constructions inside coal-based carbon sources, enabling the manufacturing of a spectrum of premium carbon supplies beforehand tough or unimaginable to fabricate. For the primary time, this strategy permits scientists and engineers to redefine the worth of coal at the atomic scale, reshaping what has lengthy been perceived as a low-cost, polluting gasoline right into a precision feedstock for cutting-edge supplies.
The expertise has already secured its first industrial partnership. Zhaoqing Shunxin Coal Chemical Industry Technology has entered right into a expertise cooperation settlement with China Pingmei Shenma, a state-owned vitality and chemical conglomerate, to construct a 6,000-ton-per-year coal-based carbon supplies venture in Henan province. On the industrial entrance, numerous carbon merchandise derived from this course of have accomplished consumer testing with a number of downstream producers. With constructive outcomes in hand, the expertise is now prepared for full-scale industrial deployment, supported by mature and confirmed commercialization circumstances.
Contact:
Zhaoqing Shunxin Coal Chemical Industry Technology Co., Ltd.