The pitch can then be spun into carbon fibers used to produce a composite material that is strong and light. The university says the new coal-based carbon fiber could serve as an alternative to traditional carbon fiber made with polyacrylonitrile (PAN).
While burning coal for power generation produces carbon dioxide (CO2) that is released into the atmosphere, processing coal for carbon fiber produces “substantially” less CO2, Eddings says.
“We’re taking the carbon and turning it into carbon fiber, so that’s effectively isolating it from going into the environment,” he says.
