Improved Carbon Precursor Materials

Abstract

A carbon precursor material is provided that comprises a distillation residue from a distillation, the distillation being a coal tar and / or petroleum based feedstock, or a coal tar and / or petroleum based pitch distillation fraction, the distillation residue having a softening point between 70 and 120°C Mettler. The invention further provides a use of the carbon precursor material as a binder and / or impregnation material in the manufacture of graphite electrodes for electric arc furnaces and carbon anodes for aluminium production, and / or as a coating material for carbon coated particles for the manufacture of battery electrodes. The invention further provides a method for obtaining a carbon precursor material, the method comprising the steps of providing a coal tar and / or petroleum based feedstock, or a coal tar and / or petroleum based pitch, subjecting the feedstock or the pitch to a first vacuum distillation process, thereby obtaining a feedstock based distillation fraction or a pitch based distillation fraction, and subsequently subjecting the distillation fraction to a second vacuum distillation process, thereby obtaining the carbon precursor material, the distillation residue.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] Technical Field The present invention relates generally to carbon precursor materials.

[0002] The present invention further relates to a method for producing such carbon precursor materials.

[0003] In particular, the invention relates generally to the use of such carbon precursor materials as coating materials for carbon coated particles or as binders and / or impregnating materials in the manufacture of graphite electrodes for electric arc furnaces and carbon anodes for aluminum production.

[0004] The present invention further relates to electrodes, particularly battery electrodes, comprising electrode materials having particulate coatings made from such carbon precursor materials. [Background technology]

[0005] background Commercially available anode materials used in lithium-ion batteries have traditionally been based on graphite, but increasingly are based on silicon oxide, silicon metal, silicon alloys, and composites of carbon or graphite with silicon, tin, and other based materials.

[0006] Many of these anode materials are coated with carbon using coal tar and petroleum based pitches as precursors. Numerous methods are known to obtain suitable coatings. Typically, the application of the coating to the electrode material particles is done by either a wet process, by dissolving the pitch in an organic solvent or dispersing a ground fine pitch powder in water, mixing this solution or suspension with the particles, drying the mixture and then heat treating it at high temperatures of 600°C to 1300°C in an inert gas atmosphere. Also used is a dry coating process, where finely ground pitch is mixed with the electrode material particles. The mixture is then heated in an inert gas atmosphere to melt the pitch and form a surface layer that is finally carbonized at high temperatures and graphitized if necessary.

[0007] The first problem, known in the art, is that conventional carbon coatings are not always uniformly distributed on the surface of electrode particles, which requires a relatively large amount, i.e., a relatively thick film of carbon in part, for complete coverage of the particle surface, which reduces the BET surface area, reduces the electrochemically active surface area wetted by the battery electrolyte, and reduces the reactivity of the electrode material to the electrolyte. Low surface area carbon coatings improve the electrochemical parameters of the electrode particles by reducing charge losses, improving cell safety, and improving charge / discharge cycling stability. However, thinner coatings are preferred because carbon formed on the particle surface contributes less to the reversible capacity of the electrode material than the particle core, and the thickness of the carbon layer also affects the rate of insertion of lithium ions into the bulk. Without being bound to any theory, a thin and uniform coating is expected when using coating materials that exhibit good wetting and impregnation of the particle surface.

[0008] The second problem is that typical pitches derived from coal tar and petrochemical sources contain small particles of carbon, but also metallic impurities that are detrimental to the quality of the coating layer formed. These particulate impurities are usually measured as quinoline insoluble matter (QI content), which is an indicator of pitch quality. To obtain good carbon film quality, the QI content should be low. Furthermore, some metallic particulate impurities, such as iron, copper, and zinc, pose safety issues in lithium-ion cells. The insoluble components reflected by the QI and TI values ​​are particularly detrimental in the case of wet coating processes, where the pitch is dissolved in an organic solvent, such as THF, toluene, xylene, or hexane, and the solution is then mixed with the particulate substrate to be coated.

[0009] Typical petroleum-based sources are known to have less particulate impurities than coal tar, and usually also have less trace metal content. At the same time, typical coal tar-based products have higher coke value, thermal stability, and flash point, i.e., higher carbon yield after carbonization of precursors by heat treatment under inert gas atmosphere, and also improve safety when processing precursors at high temperatures. In the case of petroleum-based sources, this is often associated with the molecular structure of the components with a high degree of alkyl residues that can be cleaved from the aromatic core structure during heating.

[0010] Furthermore, due to changes in steel production away from blast furnaces to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the availability of coal tar as a feedstock for coal tar pitch will be greatly reduced in the future, and as a result the availability of high quality coal tar will also be reduced. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0011] In view of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide novel carbon precursor materials.

[0012] It is a further object of the present invention to provide a novel coating material for coating graphite particles for producing battery electrodes.

[0013] In particular, it is an object of the present invention to provide a coating material that has suitable properties for thin coating layers, typically a few tens of nanometers thick.

[0014] Another object of the present invention is to provide a coating material that improves the quality of the carbon coating layer formed on the surface of graphite particles for manufacturing battery electrodes.

[0015] Another object is to provide a pitch-based carbon coating suitable for use in water-based electrode manufacturing processes.

[0016] A further objective is to mitigate stability issues in lithium-ion cells, reducing specific charge losses and increasing charge / discharge cycling stability.

[0017] Furthermore, it is a general object of the present invention to provide an alternative to coal tar pitch based coatings that can increase security of supply and meets the requirements necessary for use as a hydrocarbon coating material in the manufacture of battery electrodes, in particular Li-ion batteries.

[0018] Another general object of the present invention is to provide an alternative pitch-based coating that provides similar coke values ​​and softening points, as well as similar processing and performance of battery electrodes, particularly Li-ion batteries. [Means for solving the problem]

[0019] overview In a first aspect according to the present invention there is provided a carbon precursor material comprising a distillation residue from a distillate, said distillate being a distillation fraction of a coal tar and / or petroleum based feedstock, or a distillation fraction of a coal tar or petroleum based pitch, said distillation residue having a softening point between 70-120°C Mettler and a toluene insoluble content of less than 12%, preferably less than 8%, more preferably less than 5%.

[0020] In a second aspect, the present invention provides the use of the carbon precursor material as defined above, used as a binder and / or impregnating material in the manufacture of graphite electrodes for electric arc furnaces and carbon anodes for aluminium production.

[0021] In a third aspect, the present invention provides the use of the carbon precursor material as defined above as a coating material and / or binder for carbon coated particles for the manufacture of battery electrodes.

[0022] In a fourth aspect according to the present invention there is provided a graphite electrode for an electric arc furnace or a carbon anode for aluminium production comprising the converted carbon precursor material.

[0023] In a fifth aspect, there is provided a battery electrode comprising the converted carbon precursor material, and a lithium ion battery comprising such an electrode.

[0024] According to a sixth aspect of the present invention there is provided a method for obtaining a carbon precursor material comprising the steps of: - providing a coal tar and / or petroleum based feedstock, or a coal tar and / or petroleum based pitch; - subjecting said feedstock or said pitch to a first vacuum distillation process, thereby obtaining a feedstock-based distillate fraction or a pitch-based distillate fraction; - subsequently subjecting said distillation fraction to a second vacuum distillation process, thereby obtaining a distillation residue which is said carbon precursor material; The method includes: DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0025] Detailed Description In a first aspect according to the present invention there is provided a carbon precursor material comprising a distillation residue from a distillate, said distillate being a distillation fraction of a coal tar and / or petroleum based feedstock, or a distillation fraction of a coal tar and / or petroleum based pitch, said distillation residue having a softening point between 70-120°C Mettler, preferably between 80-100°C Mettler, and a toluene insolubles content of less than 12%, preferably less than 8%, more preferably less than 5%.

[0026] This carbon precursor material is particularly suitable for coating electrode materials with a thin layer of carbon, since it comprises a residue of a distillation fraction derived from the distillation of coal tar pitch or petroleum pitch, and is therefore substantially free of solid particulates, resulting in a quinoline insoluble content of less than 2%, preferably less than 1%. Moreover, such residues typically have a low trace metal content. The combination of a low softening point and a tailored melt viscosity, together with a high aromatic content characterized by asphaltene and resin content, allows for improved wetting and impregnation of the particle surface, resulting in a smooth and uniform carbon coating during heat treatment.

[0027] A high coking value allows for a high yield of carbon layer formation and limits the amount of volatiles formed during the carbonization process, resulting in a high carbon yield. The limited amount of volatiles reduces the porosity of the coating, which in turn limits the loss of the BET specific surface area (BET SSA).

[0028] The high aromatic content of the carbon precursor improves the carbon morphology and density of the final coating layer. In this way, uniform coating and complete surface coverage can be achieved at low layer thicknesses using low amounts of carbon and carbon precursor. This results in a carbon morphology that is easily graphitized under graphitization conditions.

[0029] The high flash point and low viscosity in the molten state also make the carbon precursor material suitable for direct coating or direct bonding and coating of particles in the liquid state. In this case, the freshly produced carbon precursor material can be sprayed directly onto the particles for coating or agglomeration and coating while the particles are fluidized by an intensive mixer or a fluidized bed. Alternatively, the carbon precursor material can be dispersed by vigorously mixing the molten carbon precursor material with the particles, for example by an intensive mixing unit.

[0030] In one embodiment of the present invention, the distillation residue has a toluene insoluble content of less than 12%, preferably less than 8%, more preferably less than 5%, and / or a quinoline insoluble content of less than 2%, preferably less than 1%, and / or a beta resin content of less than 12%, and / or a TGA (residue at 1000°C in nitrogen N2, in %) under 10-30% nitrogen. Preferably, the distillation residue has a toluene insoluble content of less than 8%, a quinoline insoluble content of less than 2%, and a beta resin content of less than 12%. Even more preferably, the carbon precursor may have a toluene insoluble content of less than 5%, a quinoline insoluble content of less than 1%, and a beta resin content of less than 5%, which may improve its applicability as a coating material for graphite particles in solvent-based coating processes, since the low toluene insoluble content improves the solubility.

[0031] In one embodiment of the invention, the distillation fraction may have a density between 1.00 and 1.3 g / cm3, measured according to DIN 51757, a viscosity at 80°C between 50 and 7000 mPas, measured according to DIN 53019, and a softening point between 40 and 70°C, measured according to DIN 51920.

[0032] In a particular embodiment according to the invention, the distillation fraction is anthracene oil and / or pyrene oil and / or heavy aromatic oil, preferably a light anthracene oil distillation fraction with a distillation range of 300-370° C., or a pyrene oil with a distillation range of 350-550° C., or a heavy aromatic oil with a distillation range of 300° C.-550° C. With such high boiling point distillates, the yield of the residue during the second distillation could be further increased by further processing in a reaction step before the distillation.

[0033] In another particular embodiment, the distillate fraction is a pitch-based distillate fraction, wherein the coal tar pitch used as starting material has a Mettler softening point of 80 to 130° C. and / or the petroleum pitch used as starting material has a Mettler softening point of 80 to 130° C.

[0034] In another embodiment according to the present invention, the carbon precursor material may further comprise a coal tar and / or petroleum based pitch having a Mettler softening point of 130-300° C. In this case, the carbon precursor material may be a mixture of distillation residue and a coal tar and / or petroleum based pitch having a Mettler softening point of 130-300° C. Considering particle coating applications, if the softening point is higher than 120° C., the carbon precursor can be dried and ground to fine particles to be used in dry particle coating processes.

[0035] Preferably, the carbon precursor material may have a melt viscosity of less than 5000 mPa.s at 140° C. Such a low melt viscosity improves particle surface wetting and impregnation, which results in a thin film of carbon that is uniformly distributed on the particle surface. The improved surface wetting and impregnation results in good coverage of the geometric particle surface, as well as good coverage of the micropores and mesopores, and typically results in visible roughness on the particle surface.

[0036] In one embodiment of the present invention, a carbon precursor material having at least a concentration of asphaltenes of at least 75%, preferably more than 85% by weight, as measured by the SARA method (Clay-Gel Absorption Chromatographic Method according to ASTM D2007) can be used, thereby increasing the respective coke value. The pitch ensures a dense (low porosity) and uniform carbon coating on the electrode material surface, which also reduces the surface reactivity towards the electrolyte, reduces the surface area of ​​the electrode material in direct contact with the battery electrolyte, and also provides good electrical conductivity and particle contact of the electrode material in the battery cell electrode.

[0037] In another embodiment according to the invention, the carbon precursor material may have a B[a]P content of less than 9000 ppm and / or a 16 EPA-PAH sum (Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons) of less than 9% according to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). A sufficiently low B[a]P content and / or 16 EPA-PAH sum clearly improves environmental friendliness compared to pitches derived from pure coal tar.

[0038] In a further embodiment, the carbon precursor material can have a coke yield of at least 40% ALCAN, or more preferably at least 50% ALCAN. Since the carbon precursor material is converted to carbon during the carbonization process, a sufficiently high coke yield can avoid high porosity of the resulting graphite particles due to less volatiles formed during the carbonization process. A dense carbon layer can be formed in a morphology that favors the formation of a solid electrolyte interphase on the electrode particle surface. Furthermore, the nature and quality of the carbon film formed on the particle surface, in addition to the electrochemically active electrode surface area being in direct contact with the electrolyte of the battery cell, also influences the charge loss.

[0039] In one embodiment, the carbon precursor material may have a coke yield of 40-60% according to the ALCAN method (DIN 51905) and a TGA residue under nitrogen between 10-30%, thereby improving the wetting and impregnation of the particle surface. The high carbon yield and composition allows the formation of a dense carbon layer on the electrode particle surface with a morphology favorable for the formation of an effective solid electrolyte interphase. Furthermore, the carbon precursor may be suitable for mixing with high melting point petroleum pitch to add supplementary components that affect favorable carbon morphology.

[0040] In a further embodiment, the carbon precursor material may have a flash point of at least 240° C., preferably at least 260° C., which may be necessary for high temperature mixing processes so that the pitch can be processed in compliance with safety requirements.

[0041] In one particular embodiment, the carbon precursor material may include only distillation residues as described throughout this specification.

[0042] In another particular embodiment of the present invention, the carbon precursor material can have a softening point of more than 120° C. Mettler. Considering particle coating applications, a softening point of more than 120° C. allows the carbon precursor to be ground to fine particles for use in dry particle coating processes. In this case, the carbon precursor material can be a mixture of distillation residue and coal tar and / or petroleum based pitch with a Mettler softening point of 130-300° C. The ratio of distillation residue to pitch can be 3:1-1:4, preferably 2:1-1:2, even more preferably 1:1-1:2.

[0043] In one particular embodiment of the invention, the carbon precursor material can be used to form a carbon surface layer coating and / or bonding to particles of an electrode material such as graphite, silicon, silicon oxide, or carbonaceous composites thereof, thereby resulting in a carbonaceous powder material or powder.

[0044] By using the above carbon precursor material, a small amount of precursor is used to form a thin and uniform carbon coating layer on the surface of electrode material particles used in battery electrodes, particularly in the negative electrodes of lithium ion batteries.

[0045] In one aspect according to the invention, a battery electrode is provided that includes the converted carbon precursor material used as a carbon coating on particles. Such a carbon coating reduces the amount of carbon used as the electrode material in the electrode. 2 For spherical natural graphite with a BET SSA of 300 / g and an average particle size of 15 microns, a pitch content of 7% by weight can reduce the BET specific surface area by at least 40%. 2 The coulombic efficiency of an electrode containing ZnO (ZnS / g) can be increased to over 90%.

[0046] Additionally, the present invention provides for the use of the carbon precursor materials described throughout this specification as binders and / or impregnating materials in the manufacture of agglomerated carbon-containing composite particles for use in battery electrodes, graphite electrodes for electric arc furnaces, and carbon anodes for aluminum production.

[0047] According to the present invention there is provided a method for obtaining the carbon precursor material described throughout the specification, comprising the steps of: - providing a coal tar and / or petroleum based feedstock, or a coal tar and / or petroleum based pitch; - subjecting said feedstock or said pitch to a first vacuum distillation process adapted to obtain a feedstock-based distillate fraction or a pitch-based distillate fraction, respectively; - subsequently subjecting said distillation fraction to a second vacuum distillation process adapted to obtain a distillation residue which is said carbon precursor material; A method is provided that includes:

[0048] The first vacuum distillation process may be carried out at a temperature between 200 and 380° C. and a pressure between 0.05 and 250 mbar.

[0049] The second vacuum distillation process adapted to obtain a distillation residue from the distillate can be carried out at a temperature between 250 and 330° C. and a pressure between 0.1 and 20 mbar.

[0050] In one embodiment of the present invention, the first and second vacuum distillation processes are adapted to obtain a distillation residue having a toluene insolubles content of less than 12% by weight, measured according to DIN 51906, and / or a quinoline insolubles content of less than 2% by weight, measured according to DIN 51921.

[0051] In another embodiment of the present invention, the first and second vacuum distillation processes are adapted to obtain a distillation bottoms having a Mettler softening point between 70 and 120° C. as measured according to ASTM D3104, and an Alcan coking value between 40 and 60% as measured according to ASTM D4715.

[0052] In one embodiment of the invention, the distillation fraction may have a density between 1.00 and 1.3 g / cm3, measured according to DIN 51757, a viscosity at 80°C between 50 and 7000 mPas, measured according to DIN 53019, and a softening point between 40 and 70°C, measured according to DIN 51920.

[0053] In one particular embodiment of the invention, the distillation cut is a pitch-based distillation cut, in which the coal tar pitch used as starting material has a Mettler softening point of 80-130° C. and / or the petroleum pitch used as starting material has a Mettler softening point of 80-130° C., whereby after the second vacuum distillation step a distillation residue is obtained with a Mettler softening point of 80-120° C. In this case, the first vacuum distillation process can be carried out at a temperature between 280-380° C. and a pressure of 0.05-30 mbar.

[0054] In a preferred embodiment of the method according to the present invention, a coal tar pitch having a Mettler softening point of 80 to 130° C. is obtained by vacuum distillation of coal tar.

[0055] Preferably, a petroleum-based pitch having a softening point of 80 to 130° C. is obtained by vacuum distillation of petroleum-based materials such as pyrolysis fuel oil, aromatic cracker bottom oil, or fluid catalytic cracker decant oil, gas oil, or other heavy aromatic petroleum-based streams.

[0056] In another particular embodiment of the present invention, the distillation fraction is based on the feedstock and the first vacuum distillation process is adapted to obtain a distillation fraction that is a light anthracene oil with a distillation range of 300 to 370° C., or a pyrene oil with a distillation range of 350 to 550° C., or a heavy aromatic oil with a distillation range of 300 to 550° C. In this case, the first vacuum distillation process can be carried out at a temperature between 200 and 380° C. and a pressure between 50 and 250 mbar.

[0057] In one embodiment according to the invention, the distillation residue can be mixed in a molten state with a petroleum-based or coal tar-based pitch to reach a softening point above about 120° C., which allows grinding to fine particles for use in dry particle coating processes. In particular, the distillation residue can be mixed with a petroleum-based pitch having a Mettler softening point of 130-300° C.

[0058] In a further embodiment according to the invention aimed at increasing the yield of distillation residue, the distillation cut can be heat treated in air at a temperature above 250° C., preferably above 300° C., preferably above 350° C., before carrying out the second vacuum distillation process. The thermal reaction initiates polymerization and condensation reactions, which can be further accelerated in the presence of catalysts such as organic peroxides, oxygen, aluminum trichloride, boron trifluoride, aluminum salts, acidic zeolites, or superacids.

[0059] The methods described throughout this specification may be part of the manufacture of battery electrodes, or may be part of the manufacture of graphite electrodes for electric arc furnaces or carbon anodes for aluminum production. The methods may include providing a multiplicity of particles to be coated, coating and / or bonding the particles with a carbon precursor material, and further forming and graphitizing or carbonizing to form a graphite or carbon electrode.

[0060] The advantage of the method according to the invention is that the asphaltene content of the carbon coating precursor, as measured by SARA, can be maintained at a level similar to that of known coal tar-based battery electrode coating precursors. Moreover, the properties of the other pitches may not be reduced compared to known coal tar coating precursors. At the same time, the rheological, wetting and impregnation properties of the product make it ideal for use as a carbon precursor for the coating of particles with a thin layer of carbon or as an impregnation precursor for the manufacture of electrode bodies for steel production in electric arc furnaces.

[0061] A further advantage is that by such methods the coke value of the carbon precursor material can be maintained at a high level, for example at least 40% ALCAN at a softening point between 70-120° C. Mettler, or at least 50% at a softening point above 100° C. Mettler.

[0062] In one embodiment of the present invention, the first and / or second reduced pressure distillation process steps are carried out at a vacuum level between 0.1 and 400 mbar, preferably between 0.1 and 250 mbar, and at a temperature between 200 and 400°C, preferably between 280 and 370°C.

[0063] By the process according to the invention it is possible to obtain a distillation residue having a toluene insolubles content of less than 12%, a quinoline insolubles content of less than 2% and a beta resin content of less than 12%, or even a toluene insolubles content of less than 5%, a quinoline insolubles content of less than 1% and a beta resin content of less than 5%.

[0064] The process according to the invention allows for tight control and prevention of potential mesophase formation to form a thin, uniform coating on the particle surface due to the low amount of secondary quinoline insolubles in the distillation residue.

[0065] The following table shows two examples of carbon precursor material formulations according to one embodiment of the present invention: (i) a carbon precursor material comprising only distillate residue as described throughout this specification, and (ii) a carbon precursor material comprising 45.5% distillate residue and 54.5% petroleum-based pitch.

[0066] [Table 1]

[0067] [Table 2]

[0068] The following table outlines the analytical procedures for the product parameters used herein.

[0069] [Table 3]

Claims

1. 1. A carbon precursor material comprising a distillation residue from a distillation, wherein the distillation is a distillation fraction of a coal tar and / or petroleum-based feedstock, or a coal tar-based and / or petroleum-based pitch, and the distillation residue has a Mettler softening point between 70 and 120°C as measured in accordance with ASTM D3104, and a toluene insolubles (TI) of less than 8 wt% as measured by DIN 51906.

2. 2. The carbon precursor material of claim 1, wherein the distillation residue has an Alcan coking value of 40 to 60% as measured in accordance with ASTM D4715.

3. 2. The carbon precursor material of claim 1, wherein the distillation residue has a toluene insolubles (TI) of less than 8 wt.-%, as determined by DIN 51906, and a quinoline insolubles (QI) of less than 2 wt.-%, as determined according to DIN 51921, and a beta resin content of less than 11 wt.-%, calculated from TI-QI.

4. 4. The carbon precursor material of claim 1, wherein the distillation fraction is a light anthracene oil having a distillation range of 300 to 370°C, or a pyrene oil having a distillation range of 350 to 550°C, or a heavy aromatic oil having a distillation range of 300 to 550°C.

5. 4. The carbon precursor material according to claim 1, wherein the distillation cut is a pitch-based distillation cut, and the coal tar-based pitch used as a starting material has a Mettler softening point of 80 to 130°C, and / or the petroleum-based pitch used as a starting material has a Mettler softening point of 80 to 130°C.

6. 10. The carbon precursor material of claim 1, further comprising a coal tar and / or petroleum based pitch having a Mettler softening point of 130 to 300°C.

7. 10. Use of the carbon precursor material of claim 1 as a binder and / or impregnating material in the production of carbon-containing composite particles used in battery electrodes, in the production of graphite electrodes for electric arc furnaces and carbon anodes for aluminum production.

8. 10. Use of the carbon precursor material of claim 1 as a coating material for carbon-coated particles for the manufacture of battery electrodes.

9. 10. A graphite electrode for an electric arc furnace or a carbon anode for aluminum production comprising the converted carbon precursor material of claim 1.

10. 10. A battery electrode comprising the converted carbon precursor material of claim 1.

11. A lithium ion battery comprising the electrode of claim 10.

12. 10. A method for obtaining the carbon precursor material of claim 1, comprising: - providing a coal tar and / or petroleum based raw material, or a coal tar and / or petroleum based pitch; - subjecting said feedstock or said pitch to a first vacuum distillation process carried out at a temperature between 200 and 380°C and at a pressure between 0.05 and 250 mbar and adapted to obtain a feedstock-based distillate fraction or a pitch-based distillate fraction, respectively; - subsequently subjecting said distillation fraction to a second vacuum distillation process carried out at a temperature comprised between 250 and 330°C and a pressure comprised between 0.1 and 20 mbar and adapted to obtain a distillation residue, which is said carbon precursor material; A method comprising:

13. 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the coal tar-based pitch provided has a Mettler softening point of 80 to 130°C as measured in accordance with ASTM D3104 and / or the petroleum-based pitch provided has a Mettler softening point of 80 to 130°C as measured in accordance with ASTM D3104, and the resulting distillation fraction is pitch-based.

14. The method described in claim 12, wherein the first vacuum distillation process is adapted to obtain a distillation fraction of the feedstock base which is a light anthracene oil having a distillation range of 300 to 370°C, or a pyrene oil having a distillation range of 350 to 550°C, or a heavy aromatic oil having a distillation range of 300 to 550°C.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising adding a petroleum pitch having a Mettler softening point of 130 to 300°C as measured in accordance with ASTM D3104 to the distillation residue.

16. 1. A method of manufacturing a graphite or carbon electrode, comprising: providing a number of particles to be coated; - coating and / or bonding said particles with a carbon precursor material according to claim 1; - further comprising shaping and graphitizing or carbonizing to form graphite or carbon electrodes, method.