The possibility of obtaining effective coal sorbents from a low-liquid product of coke chemical production—coke fines—has been studied. To obtain a coal sorbent, coke fines with a size of ≤10 mm were crushed and sieved to obtain a fraction of 2–5 mm. The resulting fraction was activated in a specially designed reactor at 850 °C with steam treatment. Activation was carried out at different durations of the process: 60, 90, and 120 min. It was found that the sample obtained with a process duration of 120 min has the best indicator for the ability to remove phenol from aqueous solutions (74.94 mg/g) and methylene blue (145 mg/g). When cleaning tap water with the resulting carbon sorbent, there is a decrease in the content of calcium, sulfates, and bicarbonate and a decrease in total mineralization. Obtained activated carbon was studied by scanning electron microscopy, low-temperature nitrogen adsorption (BET), and FTIR spectroscopy. It was found that the resulting activated carbon has a porous structure consisting of meso- and macropores, and the specific surface value was ~301 m²/g. The presence of high-intensity absorption bands corresponding to acid functional groups has also been established.

Medium-temperature pitch was obtained by vacuum distillation of coal tar from the Qarmet coke chemical production. To determine the composition of the organic constituent of the Qarmet coal tar, the component composition was analyzed via gas–liquid chromatography (GLC) methods. The analysis of the component composition of the organic component of coal tar showed that the content of naphthalene and its derivatives is 37.57%, acenaphthene—2.10%, dibenzofurane—3.60%, fluorene—4.63%, phenanthrene—8.63%, anthracene—2.29%, fluoranthene—4.56%, and pyrene—2.84%. It was found that in the obtained pitch sample, indicators such as the content of insoluble in toluene (41.86%), the softening temperature (85–91 °C), and the yield of volatile substances (1.5%) are more consistent with the standards for electrode pitch grade “V”. The composition of fractions in baking soda, soluble in toluene and quinoline, has been established. In the fractions of pitch soluble in toluene, 11 components were identified, the main of which re fluoranthene (11.71%), pyrene (10.13%), phenanthrene (7.31%), and benzopyrene (4.84%). Thus, based on the analyses carried out, it was found that the Qarmet resin is suitable for obtaining a V-grade electrode pitch, which can be used in the aluminum industry.

The purpose of this work was to synthesize and study catalytic systems based on a carbon-containing support obtained from coke fines from the Shubarkol deposit as a waste product of the coal industry for the processing of phenolic compounds. Based on the obtained carbon sorbent, mono- and binary catalysts with active phases of transition metal oxides (Fe, Co, Ni) were synthesized by wet impregnation, followed by heat treatment at 500–700 °C, as well as the aluminum oxide compositions. The surface morphology and elemental composition of the samples were studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy dispersion analysis and elemental mapping (EDS mapping), and the content of active phases was determined using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). The catalytic activity was studied in phenol hydrogenation reactions. The CoO/C catalyst demonstrated the greatest activity, providing a 62.36% benzene yield during phenol hydrogenation. The catalytic activity of the CoO/C catalyst has also been studied in the hydrogenation reactions of structurally and functionally more complex compounds, pyrocatechol and resorcinol. The yield of benzene was 63.16% in the hydrogenation of pyrocatechol and 48.64% in the hydrogenation of resorcinol. It was found that the CoO/C catalyst exhibits the highest efficiency at a temperature of 420 °C, a pressure of 6–6.5 MPa and a reaction duration of 120 min. The results obtained make it possible to evaluate the prospects of using a carbon sorbent obtained from coke fines from the Shubarkol deposit as a support for CoO as part of an active and stable catalytic system designed for deep processing of phenolic compounds.

The kinetics of anthracene hydrogenation was studied using the method of equilibrium kinetic analysis. To determine the diffusion–kinetic characteristics, anthracene hydrogenation was performed at different temperatures (648 K, 673 K, 698 K), at a hydrogen pressure of 3 MPa in the presence of a mixture of pyrite (FeS₂) and aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃) taken at a ratio of 1:1. Chromatographic analysis of anthracene hydrogenation products showed the presence of 9,10-dihydroanthracene (DHA), 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroanthracene (THA), methylnaphthalene (MN), naphthalene (H) and other unidentified compounds. In order to preserve the material balance, a total hydrogenation reaction of anthracene, up to 9,10-dihydroanthracene, was proposed as characterized by the highest rate in the presence of pyrite-based catalysts and aluminum oxide. Calculations of the degrees of rotation of anthracene, reaction constants, and Gibbs energy have shown that with increasing temperature, the reaction becomes more thermodynamically advantageous. Based on the obtained data, Arrhenius dependences were constructed, which made it possible to calculate the activation energies of direct (39.4 kJ/mol) and reverse (13.04 kJ/mol) reactions. Thus, based on the calculations performed, it was found that the process of anthracene hydrogenation in the presence of a mixture of pyrite and aluminum oxide proceeds mainly in the diffusion region.

The physico-chemical and electrophysical properties of carbon coke obtained by coking composite mixtures of pitches isolated from coal tar coking plants of JSC “Shubarkol Komir” and “Qarmet” are investigated. The component composition of the initial resins and the obtained pitches was determined by gas–liquid chromatography methods. The purpose of this study was to identify the patterns of influence of the composition of composite mixtures of pitches isolated from coal tar coking plants of JSC “Shubarkol Komir” and “Qarmet”, as well as heat treatment parameters (temperature 800–1000 °C, duration 4–6 h), on the thermophysical and electrophysical properties of electrode coke, with the determination of optimal conditions for obtaining a material combining low ash content and high carbon content. It was found that the content of phenols and paraffins in the resin of “Shubarkol Komir” is approximately 25% of each component. It is shown that the properties of the final coke depend on the ratio of the mixed pitches (1:1, 1:2, 2:1) and coking conditions (temperature 800–1000 °C, duration 4–6 h). Optimal characteristics (minimal ash content of 0.4%, maximal carbon content of 97.75%) were achieved with a pitch ratio of 1:2 and a temperature of 1000 °C for 6 h. A specific heat capacity in the range of 298–448 K was measured calorimetrically for this sample, where a type II phase transition was detected at 373 K. Electrophysical measurements in the range of 293–483 K revealed a complex temperature dependence of the resistance characteristic of a semiconductor with two sections of a narrow band gap (~0.67 eV and ~0.55 eV). The novelty of the work consists in a comprehensive study of composite mixtures of coal tar pitches and the influence of heat treatment parameters on the formation of thermophysical and electrophysical properties of electrode coke. For the first time, signs of a type II phase transition have been identified for this type of coke material and gigantic permittivity values (up to 10⁹) have been recorded, indicating its potential as a functional carbon material.