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The Microscopy of Carbon Materials Working Group (WG) was activated at the 60^th ICCP Meeting in Oviedo, Spain 2008, with the objectives directed to the microscopically characterization of carbon materials derived from coal and petroleum.

The WG is focused to consolidating and completing the existent methods developed for carbon materials structural and textural characterization:

Describe of the optical appearance of the carbon textures and identify the morphological differences as: optical texture and shape, optical type and size;

Use the previous exercises classification scheme to distinguish between different classes considered both for the optical texture (isotropic/anisotropic), and shape, optical type (punctiform, mosaic, fiber, ribbon, domain) and size;

Evaluate the origin of optical texture and the porosity development.

ICCP Meeting, Oviedo – Presentation of summary of activities.

Activities in individual years and publications:

(2009) 1-st exercise was focused:

• To identify the petrographic textures representing the structural organization of the organic matter corresponding to solid carbon precursors, as: coal-tar pitch coke, petroleum coke, calcinated anthracite;
• To describe of the optical appearance of the carbon textures and identify the morphological differences as: optical texture and shape, optical type and size.

The exercise consisted on 77 fields belonging to 22 different black and white pictures.

The 9 participants represented 5 laboratories and 5 countries (Bulgaria, Germany, Portugal,  Romania and Spain).

• ICCP Meeting, Gramado – Presentation of summary of activities;
• Report on the results of the 2009 Round Robin Exercise

2010 activities: 2-nd exercise was focused:

• To  identify the mesophase formation from the isotropic aromatic parent liquid to an anisotropic solid texture (nucleation, coalescing, mesophase coalescing final stage) of coal-tar pitches: binder pitch (type A) and impregnating pitch (type C) currently used as matrix precursors of many carbon materials.
• To describe the evolution of optical characteristics of pitches during heating up to 480, 500, 800 and 1000^oC that influences their preparation within the production industrial steps.

The exercise consisted on 113 fields belonging to 42 different black and white pictures.

The 13 participants represented 9 laboratories and 9 countries (Germany, India, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Spain, UK and USA).

• ICCP Meeting, Belgrade – Presentation of summary of activities
• Report on the results of the 2009 Round Robin Exercise

 

Publication: Predeanu G., Panaitescu C., Bieg G., Gómez Borrego A., Diez M.A., Kwiecińska B., Marques M., Mastalerz M., Misz-Kennan M., Pusz S., Suárez Ruiz I., Rodriguez S., Životić D. Thermal evolution of the coal-tar pitches structure studied within the Microscopy of Carbon Materials ICCP Working Group, The International Committee for Coal and Organic Petrology (ICCP) Newsletter, 51,  (2010), 46-50. ISSN 1445-4793.

• (2011) 3-rd exercise was focused:

  • To use the previouse exercises classification scheme to distinguish between different classes considered both for the optical texture (isotropic/anisotropic), and shape, optical type (punctiform, mosaic, fiber, ribbon, domain) and size;
  • To identify of the morphological differences occurred between three different samples of steel electrodes used: baked electrodes, re-baked electrodes and graphitized electrodes;
  • To identify the interaction phenomena between calcinated petroleum coke and binders: binder pitch and impregnating pitch;
  • To evaluate the origin of optical texture (not compulsory).

The conveners chose 116 fields belonging to 47 different black and white pictures.

The 13 participants represented 9 laboratories and 9 countries (Germany, India, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Spain, Bulgaria and UK).

• ICCP Meeting, Porto – Presentation of summary of activities
• Report on the results of the 2011 Round Robin Exercise

• (2012):

Provide and prepare for microscopical investigation the samples of carbon materials  from the aluminum industry: anodes and cathodes blocks.

• ICCP Meeting, Beijing – Presentation of summary of activities

• (2013) 4-th exercise was focused:

  • To identify of the morphological differences occurred between two different samples of carbon materias used: in aluminum industry (anodes and cathodes blocks) which petrographic composition depends on the grain size distribution of the blended solids (petroleum coke, anthracite and the quality of the binding material-pitch coke).
  • To use the previous exercises classification scheme to distinguish between different classes considered both for the optical texture (isotropic/anisotropic), and shape, optical type (punctiform, mosaic, fiber, ribbon, domain) and size;
  • To evaluate the origin of optical texture (not compulsory).

The conveners chose 66 fields belonging to 40 different black and white pictures.

The 13 participants represented 9 laboratories and 9 countries (Germany, India, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Spain, Bulgaria and UK).

The 8 participants represented  laboratories and 7 countries (India, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Spain, and USA).

• ICCP Meeting, Sosnowiec, Poland – Presentation of summary of activities;
• Report on the results of the 2013 Round Robin Exercise

Publication: POSTER at the 65^th Annual Meeting of ICCP & 30^th Annual Meeting of TSOP, Katowice, Poland. EXTENDED ABSTRACT 65^th Annual Meeting of ICCP ICCP program and Abstract Book: Editors: Justyna Ciesielczuk, Monika Fabianska, Magdalena Misz-Kennan & Krzysztof Szopa, 108-109, ISBN 978-83-934-005-2-2.

2014 – 2015 activities:

Prepare and compile the manuscript for microscopical investigation the samples of carbon materials  from the aluminum industry: anodes and cathodes blocks.

• ICCP Meeting, Kolkata, India – Presentation of summary of activities;
• ICCP Meeting, Postdam – Presentation of summary of activities;
• Report on the results and publication

 

Publication: ISI PAPER having all the participants as co-authors

Predeanu G. , Panaitescu C. , Bălănescu M., Bieg G., Gómez Borrego A., Diez M. A. , Hackley P., Kwiecińska B., Marques M., Mastalerz M., Misz-Kennan M. , Pusz S. , Suárez Ruiz I. , Rodrigues S. , Singh A. K. , Varma A. K. , Zdravkov A. , Životić D. Microscopical characterization of carbon materials derived from coal and petroleum and their interaction phenomena in making steel electrodes, anodes and cathode blocks for the microscopy of carbon materials working group of the ICCP. International Journal of Coal Geology, 139, (2015), 63-79.

2016 activities: 5-th exercise was focused:

• To activated carbons (coal and biomass origin) and precursors, (chars) of coal and lignocellulosic origin as well as materials in the stages undergoing pyrogenetic and activating reactions (I).
• Round Robin analysis were based on sample images taken by the conveners from real samples obtained and analysed in UPB and INCAR research laboratories
• The exercise was based on 11 sample type and 60 photomicrographs were provided by the conveners from:

• Romania: Coal /Lignite, (Oltenia Basin) Xylite Char Activated Carbon
• Spain: Coal/Semianthracite (Sovilla), Anthracite (Narcea) Activated Carbon

• The 13 participants represented  laboratories and 7 countries (Australia, Bulgaria, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Spain, and USA).

 

• ICCP Meeting, Huston – Presentation of summary of activities 2016;
• Report on the results of the 2016 Round Robin Exercise

 

2017 activities: 6-th exercise was focused:

• To activated carbons (coal and biomass origin) and precursors, (chars) of coal and lignocellulosic origin as well as materials in the stages undergoing pyrogenetic and activating reactions (II).
• Round Robin analysis were based on sample images taken by the conveners from real samples obtained and analysed in UPB and INCAR research laboratories
• The exercise was based on 11 sample type and 60 photomicrographs were provided by the conveners from:

• Romania: Coal /Lignite, (Oltenia Basin) Xylite Char Activated Carbon (II)
• Spain: Coal/Semianthracite (Sovilla), Anthracite (Narcea) Activated Carbon (II)
• The 7 participants represented  laboratories and 5 countries (Australia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, and Spain).

 

• ICCP Meeting, Bucharest – Presentation of summary of activities 2017;
• Report on the results of the 2017 Round Robin Exercise

 

2019 activities: 7-th exercise was focused:

• To activated carbons (coal and biomass origin) and precursors, (chars) of coal and lignocellulosic origin as well as materials in the stages undergoing pyrogenetic and activating reactions (III).
• In 2019 (the 7-th exercise) was based on: 10 sample type and 53 photomicrographs provided by the convener from:
• Romania: Coal tar pitch/Pitch coke/Activated Carbon (precursors for graphene materials) and Biomass/Biomass char/Activated Carbon
• The 13 participants represented  laboratories and 7 countries (Germany, India, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Spain and USA).

 

• ICCP Meeting, Brisbane – Presentation of summary of activities 2019;

 

2021 activities

• Summary of the exercises between 2016-2019 targeting activated carbons, a group of carbon materials used on a very large scale
• The choice of these types of materials was not accidental but was based mainly on the experience of convenors, research scientists working in the field of the carbon materials

§  The collaboration between the conveners allowed the choice of some interesting samples to present in targeted photomicrographs, the way in which the optical microscopy can help, as a non-destructive method, the characterization of some high-performance materials.

 

2022 activities: 8-th exercise was focused:

• To biomass chars obtained from fruit kernels and other types of biomass materials of lignocellulosic origin in the stages undergoing pyrogenetic reactions.
• In 2022 (the 8-th exercise) was based on: 15 sample type and 30 photomicrographs and 15 examples provided by the conveners from:
• Romania: 8 sample type (7  biochars and 1 activated carbon) and 16 photomicrographs
• Poland: 7 sample type and 14 photomicrographs

 

• ICCP Meeting, New Delhi – Presentation of summary of activities 2022;
• Report on the results of the 2022 Round Robin Exercise