Abstract: Single-walled carbon nanotube ropes (SWCNTRs) were successfully fabricated on a large scale from coal-based composite carbon electrodes using the arc discharge method. The SWCNTRs obtained were characterized by TEM and Raman spectroscopy. Results show that the Taixi coal used in the present work is a suitable carbon source for the synthesis of high purity SWCNTRs in the presence of catalysts such as La and Ni. The diameter distribution of the obtained SWCNTRs varies from 1.80 to 2.01nm and the bimetal La/Ni catalyst plays a synergetic role in the catalytic synthesis of SWCNTRs.