Analysis of the Anode Paste Charge Composition

Anode pastes are widely used in the production of ferroalloys and primary aluminum and in other processes in the metal and chemical industries. In consideration that their manufacturing involves dosing and mixing, the properties and performance of the commercial product are determined by the type of initial charge components and their ratio. This study analyzed the composition of the initial charge mixtures of two anode pastes. At the initial stage, the solid carbon filler was separated from the pitch binder. The filler separated was classified by the components based on the difference in their physical properties and then divided into size classes. A comprehensive thermal analysis of the initial samples and the filler fractions was performed to evaluate the thermal transformations in the samples and to determine the filler–binder ratio in the charge. The extraction results of individual pitch fractions in the corresponding solvents were considered in the analysis. The charge mixture for two anode paste samples was analyzed to determine the possibility of using this approach. This approach can be developed further for possible applications in metal industry enterprises and in laboratory studies.