| abstract |
A method of making a high softening point coal tar pitch using high efficiency evaporative distillation, as well as the uses and applications of such pitch. According to the method, a feed coal tar pitch having a softening point in the range of 70°C to 160°C is fed into a processing vessel wherein the processing vessel is heated to a temperature in the range of 300°C to 450°C and wherein a pressure inside the processing vessel is in the range of 5 Torr or less. An output coal tar pitch is withdrawn from the processing vessel. The output coal tar pitch has a softening point in the range of 140°C to 300°C and has less than 5% mesophase. |