How much do you know about graphite?
Graphite is one of the allotropic forms in which carbon can be presented along with diamond, fullerenes, nanotubes and graphene. At atmospheric pressure and at room temperature, graphite is more stable than diamond; however the decomposition of the diamond is so extremely slow that it is only appreciable on a geological scale. It was named by Abraham Got lob Werner in the year 1789 and the term graphite derives from the Greek (graphein) which means to write. It is also called plumbagina and black lead.
Graphite formations have to be referred, in large part, to carbonaceous sedimentary deposits transformed by metamorphism; in other cases, they reveal an inorganic origin, since they are explained by the fact that carbon comes from carbides or ascending carbon compounds. Its origin is metamorphic contact, metamorphic in the marbles, gneiss and crystalline schist’s, during the metamorphism of the coals.
Graphite is found in natural deposits and can be extracted, but it is also produced artificially. The main global producer of graphite is China, followed by India and Brazil.
Graphite Electrodes Production:
To produce a graphite electrode, you need carbon. The carbon source for graphite electrodes comes from the petroleum industry as a by-product from the oil refining process. In the refining of crude oil, hydrocarbon chains are cracked in coking units and the resulting fuels are then separated as kerosene, gasoline, and diesel. As chains of hydrocarbons are being cracked in this process, pure carbon becomes deposited on the sidewalls of the coking units.
