Processes for producing mesophase pitch

A process for producing mesophase pitch, the process comprising:

• providing a feedstock comprising at least one member selected from the group consisting of main column bottoms (MCB), hydroprocessed MCB, steam cracker tar, hydrotreated steam cracker tar, vacuum resid, deasphalted residue or rock, and mixtures or combinations thereof;
• configuring conditions for a heat treatment of the feedstock that satisfy a relationship [X*Y]≥20,000 seconds, wherein X is an equivalent reaction time (ERT) of the heat treatment, and wherein Y is a bromine number of the feedstock as measured in accordance with ASTM DI 159;
• heating the feedstock at the conditions, wherein the conditions comprise a temperature ranging from about 420° C. to about 520° C. to produce a heat treated product including isotropic pitch;
• contacting the isotropic pitch with a solvent selected from the group consisting of single-ring aromatics, two-ring aromatics, paraffins, a midcut solvent, and mixtures or combinations thereof under conditions sufficient to produce a solvent fraction comprising the solvent and an insoluble fraction comprising mesophase pitch;
• and
• recovering the mesophase pitch.