Process for the production of a feedstock for carbon artifact manufacture

Abstract

Broadly stated, the present invention comprises: fluxing an isotropic carbonaceous pitch thereby rendering the pitch fluid. Next, the fluxed pitch is introduced into a heating zone where the temperature is maintained in the range of from about 350.degree. C. to about 450.degree. C., thereby resulting in the heat soaking of the fluxed pitch. In a continuous process, at least some of the fluxed pitch is simultaneously removed or drawn off from the heating zone and transferred to a cooling zone. The temperature in the cooling zone generally ranges from above the freezing point of the fluxed pitch to below the temperature in the heating zone, and in a particularly preferred embodiment is maintained at the boiling point of the organic liquid used to flux the pitch. Any solids suspended in the fluxed pitch after heat soaking and cooling are removed by filtering or the like. Thereafter, the fluxed, heat soaked pitch is treated with an anti-solvent compound so as to precipitate at least a portion of the pitch free of quinoline insoluble solids.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.