Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Aug. 21
By Huseyn Hasanov – Trend:
The US-based Westport Trading Europe Limited (WTL) is launching needle coke production in Turkmenistan, Trend reports referring to the Neutral Turkmenistan newspaper, which in turn quotes the director of the company's branch in Turkmenistan Allaberdy Ilyasov.
WTL owns the patented technology of an innovative method for the production of needle coke from Turkmen oil.
The technological potential of the complex of the Turkmenbashi Complex of Oil Refineries (TKNPZ) gives reason to establish profitable production of high-quality needle coke, the information reads.
"It is good in that it contains significantly less ash impurities and sulfur compared to conventional metallurgical coke," the businessman said.
The developed technologies make it possible to obtain high-quality needle coke meeting international standards; using catalytic technologies from oil residues, it is possible to not only obtain ordinary coke, but also a completely new product from oil.
It was reported in July that WTL specialists completed work at the TKNPZ with a total volume of more than $500 million. Two types of petroleum coke are produced here - total (semi-finished) and calcined. However, compared to the price of total coke, needle coke is 10 times more expensive on the global market.
Needle coke is a key raw material for the production of graphite electrodes used in heavy industry - for the smelting of low carbon and alloy steels, ferroalloys and other special alloys in glass melting and arc ore thermal furnaces, for the smelting of cast iron, steel, non-ferrous metals and special alloys in electrothermal installations.