Carbon fiber from petroleum pitch: Current advances and potential applications

Reducing production costs while meeting rising demand is a significant technological challenge for the carbon fiber industry. Carbon fiber (CF) is increasingly used in aviation, defense, and sports due to its lightweight, high tensile strength, chemical resistance, and temperature tolerance. The global demand for CF is projected to grow at an average annual rate of 10.3%. Currently, ∼90% of CF is produced using polyacrylonitrile (PAN) as a precursor, which is costly, with the precursor accounting for approximately 53% of the total production cost, limiting its use in medium to low-end markets. Conversely, heavy petroleum fractions like heavy vacuum gas oil and vacuum residue are inexpensive petroleum refinery wastes with significant potential for CF production. Developing and fabricating CF from low-value petroleum residues could be a viable alternative to reduce costs and meet growing demand. This review focuses on an organized and critical assessment of the application of low-grade CF derived from low value petroleum residues, life cycle assessment, production methodologies, influencing parameters, operative conditions, and properties of such CFs. The aim of this review article is to provide a general idea to the society that low value petroleum residue-based CF has diverse applications and can expedite the adoption of CF in medium to low-end industries because of cost benefits and it can also help to decarbonize the petrochemical industries.