Preparation of Carbon Micro-Spheres from Liquefaction Products of Lignite with NaOH-Methanol

Carbon micro-spheres (CMSs) with diameters of several micrometers were synthesized by surfactant-assisted self-assembly of direct coal liquefaction products, which come from the lignite liquefaction with NaOH and methanol. The synthesized CMSs were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope and TG analysis. The results show that cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and carbonization temperature play an important role in the formation of CMSs. The CMSs have a spherical morphology, smooth surface, probable size of about 5-10μm and a relatively high thermal resistance in N2 atmosphere. The formation mechanism of these CMSs was discussed based on the feature of the reaction system.