Product

Pitch coke is a carbonaceous solid produced by the high-temperature coking of coal tar pitch — the residue remaining after distillation of coal tar from coke oven operations. Unlike petroleum coke (derived from crude oil residues) or metallurgical coke (from coking coal), pitch coke originates entirely from the coal tar processing chain. It is produced either in a delayed coker or in dedicated pitch coking furnaces at temperatures of 400–550°C. Green pitch coke exits the coker still containing residual volatile matter (5–12 wt%) and is rarely traded as a standalone product; it is almost always calcined at the production site before commercial sale. The calcined form is therefore the dominant commercial product. 

Feedstock & Production

The feedstock is high-temperature coal tar pitch (HT-CTP), itself the residue from the distillation of coal tar collected during the carbonisation of coking coal in coke ovens. Pitch coking proceeds through mesophase formation — an intermediate liquid-crystalline state — before solidifying into coke. The degree of mesophase development governs the degree of microstructural order and ultimately the quality of the resulting coke.

Relationship to Coal-Tar Needle Coke

Pitch coke and coal-tar needle coke share the same feedstock (HT-CTP) and production route, but differ fundamentally in feedstock purity and process selectivity. Coal-tar needle coke requires rigorously pre-treated, quinoline-insoluble (QI)-free pitch feedstock and tightly controlled coking conditions to develop its characteristic acicular microstructure and ultra-low CTE. Pitch coke is produced from standard coal tar pitch without such selectivity, yielding a less ordered, isotropic to weakly anisotropic microstructure unsuitable for graphite electrode or lithium-ion anode applications.

Key Properties (Calcinated Pitch Coke)

References

1. Ordabaeva A.T., Muldakhmetov Z.M., Meiramov M.G., Kim S.V., & Sagintaeva Z.I. (Mar 24, 2024) Production of Pitch from Coal Tar of the Coke Chemical Production "Qarmet". Molecules. 2025 Mar 24;30(7):1441. DOI: 10.3390/molecules30071441. PMID: 40286033; PMCID: PMC11990142
2. Mitsubishi Chemical Group. Pitch Coke. Retrieved via the Web Archive (Sep 7, 2025)
3. HP Graphite. The difference and application of coke, pitch coke, needle coke and petroleum coke (Accessed Mar 3, 2026)
4. Zhu Y., Liu H., Xu Y., Hu C., Zhao C., Cheng J., Chen X., & Zhao X. (Jun 16, 2020). Preparation and characterization of coal-pitch-based needle coke (Part III): The effects of quinoline insoluble in coal tar pitch. Energy & Fuels, 34(7), 8676–8684. DOI: 10.1021/acs.energyfuels.0c01049