Conoco to Commercialize New Pitch-Based Carbon Fiber.

A new type of carbon fiber expected to have applications in plastics and composites will be introduced next year by Conoco Inc., the Houstonbased oil company formerly owned by DuPont Co. After 12 years of development, Conoco is making its entry into the carbon-fiber market with a new production technology based on petroleum pitch. Unlike carbon fibers based on relatively costly polyacrylonitrile, Conoco's process converts a low-value oil-refinery byproduct into a highstrength fiber. Conoco executive v.p. Jim Nokes says this fiber is "vastly different from existing carbon-based fibres" and has unique properties that can enhance existing reinforced products and open up new applications. Conoco plans to start up an 8-million-lb/yr plant in Ponca City, Okla., in the second quarter of 2001.