Method for producing mesophase pitch

Claim 1

A method for producing a 100% mesophase pitch composed only of Q.I. and Q.S. components with a softening point of about 208°to 220° C. which comprises steps of (i) subjecting a petroleum-origin pitch to heat treatment with stirring under a stream of a carrier gas selected from the group consisting of a hydrocarbon of small carbon numbers, a lower boiling point naphtha fraction or a dry gas by-product of the heat treatment of the raw material petroleum origin pitch and at atmospheric or super atmospheric pressure and a temperature of 360° C. to 450° C. until the mesophase content in the resulting pitch is in the range of 10% to 50%, (ii) holding said heat-treated pitch in quiescent aging melt-coalescing state at a temperature of higher than 280° C. and lower than 350° C., under a stream of gas selected from the group consisting of a hydrocarbon gas of small carbon atom numbers, lower melting point naphtha fractions and a dry gas formed as a by-product of the heat treatment of the raw material petroleum origin pitch, thereby dividing the heat-treated pitch into a non-mesophase and mesophase, (iii) separating a non-mesophase of the upper layer and a mesophase of the lower layer by the difference of physical properties at the same temperature as the aging melt-coasliscing temperature to produce the 100% mesophase composed only of Q.I. and Q.S. components, (iv) subjecting only the separated non-mesophase to the steps (i), (ii) and (iii), and repeating the step of (iv) at least three times by using only the separated non-mesophase each time.

Claim 2

A method for producing a 100% mesophase pitch composed only of Q.I. and Q.S. components with a softening point of about 208°to 220° C. which comprises steps of (i) subjecting a petroleum-origin pitch to heat treatment with stirring under a stream of a carrier gas selected from the group consisting of a hydrocarbon of small carbon numbers, a lower boiling point naphtha fraction or a dry gas by-product of the heat treatment of the raw material petroleum origin pitch and at atmospheric or super atmospheric pressure and a temperature of 360° C. to 450° C. until the mesophase content in the resulting pitch is in the range of 10% to 50%, (ii) holding said heat-treated pitch in quiescent aging melt-coalescing state at a temperature of higher than 280° C. and lower than 350° C., under a stream of gas selected from the group consisting of a hydrocarbon gas of small carbon atom numbers, lower melting point naphtha fractions and a dry gas formed as a by-product of the heat treatment of the raw material petroleum origin pitch, thereby dividing the heat-treated pitch into a non-mesophase and mesophase, (iii) separating a non-mesophase of the upper layer and a mesophase of the lower layer by the difference of physical properties at the same temperature as the aging melt-coasliscing temperature to produce the 100% mesophase composed only of Q.I. and Q.S. components, (iv) subjecting only the separated non-mesophase to the steps (i), (ii) and (iii), and repeating the step of (iv) at least three times by using only the separated non-mesophase each time.