Approximately 23 percent of worldwide petroleum coke production, excluding China, is earmarked for calcined petroleum coke, a nearly pure carbon source used primarily for industrial applications. Raw or “green†coke is passed through rotary kilns, driving off unwanted moisture and volatiles. Calcined Petroleum Coke's ( CPC) nearly pure quality makes it ideal for the aluminum industry, which accounts for nearly 75 percent of the world’s calcined coke consumption. For every pound of aluminum produced, about 0.4 pounds of carbon anode are consumed.
While the aluminum industry consumes the bulk of calcined petroleum coke, the remaining 25 percent is used in such applications as providing a carbon source in the production of titanium dioxide, steel, and certain chemical processes. Calcined coke, for example, plays a critical role in creating the graphitized electrodes needed for electric arc steel furnaces.