An investigation on modification mechanism of CH2O-modified low temperature coal tar pitches

Rising oil price has brought huge cost pressure for low grade highway construction, and it is urgent to find alternative resources. At the same time, there are nearly 50000–60000 tons of low temperature coal output in inner Mongolia region, China, which has high toxicity and high polluting. To make the low temperature coal be applicable for road constructions, the formaldehyde is used as cross linking agent, the concentrated sulfuric acid is used as catalyst, and the chemical modification of low temperature coal tar pitch in Inner Mongolia region is investigated. The road performance (softening point, penetration and ductility) of modified low temperature coal are tested. Results shown that the road performance of modified low temperature coal is increased significantly. Modification mechanism of low temperature coal is studied by Scanning Electron Microscopy and other analytical tools. Results show that, in the modified low temperature coal, resin content increases and the resin fiber diameter becomes larger with the increasing of formaldehyde content.