Additive to make electrode graphite & China graphite electrode production

The additives of graphite electrode are mainly binder and impregnating agent, So let DanCarbon talk about Additive to make electrode graphite, Graphite electrode raw material and China graphite electrode production.
1.Additive to make electrode graphite
The binder and impregnating agent include coal pitch, coal tar, anthracene oil and synthetic resin. In addition, some auxiliary materials are used in production, such as quartz sand, metallurgical coke particles and coke powder.
Binder asphalt generally uses moderate-temperature or moderate-temperature modified asphalt with moderate softening point, high coking value, and high β resin, and impregnating agent should use medium-temperature asphalt with low softening point, low QI, and good rheological properties.
2.Graphite electrode raw material
The graphite electrode is made of petroleum coke, needle coke as raw materials, coal pitch as a binder, after raw material calcination, crushing, batching, mixing, forming, baking, impregnation, re-baking, graphitization, machining, quality inspection, which is made by 11 processes including packaging and delivery.
3.China graphite electrode production
At present, the market price of graphite electrodes in China is already at a relatively low level, and the overall possibility of a substantial downward trend is unlikely. From the beginning of June in 2020 to the present, the mainstream transaction prices of ultra-high, medium and small-size and ultra-high-large-size graphite electrodes have remained stable, and the overall market has not changed much. Some low-price orders are mainly affected by the furnace conditions of the bidding steel mills, which have relatively broad requirements for the performance parameters of graphite electrodes, so the prices are also different and belong to individual phenomena.
According to statistics, the output of 42 domestic graphite electrode companies in May 2020 was 60,700 tons, a decrease of 0.23 million tons from April, a decrease of 3.65%, and a decrease of 86,600 tons from the same period of the previous year, a decrease of 12.41%.
China's graphite electrode market is currently in a weak stage of operation. The mainstream transaction prices are relatively stable. It is normal for some orders to fluctuate depending on the furnace conditions and payment methods.
Output: China's monthly output of graphite electrodes in 2020 is in a state of decline compared with the same period in 2019. From January to April 2020, China's total output of graphite electrodes was 226,200 tons, a decrease of approximately 53,000 tons from the same period in 2019, a year-on-year decrease of 19.22%. (Statistics on the output of 40 graphite electrode companies in China)
Price: The current overall price of graphite electrodes in China has stabilized. After the continuous decline in the previous period, the current price is operating in a relatively stable range, and the overall change is not large.
Inventory: Affected by the epidemic situation and market factors, after the Spring Festival holiday, in addition to the successful resumption of the traditional domestic graphite electrode enterprises, new graphite electrode enterprises and some small and medium-sized graphite electrode enterprises have chosen to delay the start of construction. Since the start of construction, most of them deal with the existing inventory, so the current overall inventory of the market is slowly decreasing.
Electric furnace steel market: Since March of 2020, the operating rate of independent electric furnace steel in China has risen steadily, and the overall operating situation of the electric furnace steel market has been effectively improved. At present, the resumption of production of electric furnace steel enterprises is accelerating, and electric furnace steel enterprises in severely epidemic areas have begun to resume work gradually. It is expected that the overall starting situation of the electric furnace steel market in the later period will still maintain an upward trend.