Waste into Wealth: Plasticization Treatment of Waste Graphite Powder and Efficient Impregnation Strategy for the Preparation of Graphite Blocks

Abstract

Recycling the graphite powder generated during the processing of traditional graphite blocks is essential for reducing resource waste and managing graphite dust pollution. With the emergence of the dual-carbon economy, the recycling of waste graphite powder (WGP) has gained significant attention. However, due to its high degree of graphitization, past recycling efforts have been limited to low value-added industries, resulting in resource wastage.In this paper, WGP is used as the primary raw material, with a resin transition layer constructed on its surface using a thermosetting phenolic resin solution, forming WGP@PFS. This enhances the plasticity of the brittle graphite powder. A combination of micro-hot pressing and electric field-driven jet deposition 3D printing (EJD) creates a network within the substrate, improving the impregnation effect. The produced graphite blocks (GBS-WJ) exhibit impressive properties, including a bulk density of 1.77 g/cm³ and compressive strength of 60.76 MPa, offering a novel method for WGP recycling.

Keywords: waste graphite powder, powder plasticization, resin transition layer, photosensitive resins, impregnation channels, graphite block