Coal & Charcoal #2027632

Calcined Petroleum Coke is a critical ingredient in the production of aluminum. It is created by placing high quality raw "green" petroleum coke into rotary kilns, where it is heated to temperatures between 1200 to 1350 degrees C (2192 to 2460 F). The high temperatures remove excess moisture, extract all remaining hydrocarbons and modify the crystalline structure of the coke, resulting in a denser more electrically conductive product. In a matter of hours, calcined petroleum coke is cooled from 1350 degrees C to less than 200 degrees C, when it can be safely handled and transported to storage silos or placed directly into shipping containers, trucks, railcars, barges or vessels. Calcined petroleum coke has a sponge-like structure which plays an important role in the making of anodes. The pores allow binding material to penetrate through the coke particles and form a solid carbon block, through which aluminum smelters conduct electricity into their smelting pots. Over time, the anodes are consumed, roughly at the rate of 40 tons of calcined petroleum coke for each 100 tons of aluminum produced. Currently, there is no known commercially viable substitute for calcined petroleum coke in the fabrication and utilization of aluminum smelter anodes. The majority of Oxbow Carbon's calcined petroleum coke finds its way into the primary aluminum industry; another large segment is used in the steel industry as a recarburizing agent. Other uses include the production of titanium dioxide, which is used as a pigment for paint, plastics, sunscreens, and food coloring.

Oxbow Carbon LLC purchases, screens and distributes more than a million tons of metallurgical coke annually. Oxbow distributes metallurgical coke sourced from China, Colombia, Europe and the United States to companies throughout Asia, the Americas, and Europe. What is Metallurgical Coke? Metallurgical coke is made from low ash, low sulfur bituminous coal, with special coking properties, which is inserted into ovens and heated to 1000F to fuse fixed carbon and inherent ash and drive off most of the volatile matter. The final product is a nearly pure carbon source with sizes ranging from basketballs (foundry coke) to a fine powder (coke breeze). Processing Metallurgical coal is used in the production and purification of metallurgical coke. It is during the heating process that the unstable components are released. The final product is a non-melting, solid, stable carbon. However, the "ash" elements, which were part of the original bituminous coal, remain encapsulated in the resultant met coke. One attribute of met coke is its ability to burn while producing little or no smoke. Oxbow Carbon LLC obtains high quality metallurgical coke from China, Colombia, the United States, and various European countries. End Uses Met coke is used in products where a high quality, tough, resilient carbon is required. Met coke, limestone, and iron ore are mixed together in high temperature furnaces where extreme heat causes the chemical properties to bond, forming iron and steel. More than 95 percent of the met coke produced is used in the iron and steel industries.

Petroleum coke is a by-product of the oil refining process. As refineries worldwide seek to operate more efficiently and extract more gasoline and other high value fuels from each barrel of crude oil, a solid carbon material known as petcoke is produced. The chemical and physical characteristics of petcoke are a function of the crude oil and refining technology used by the refinery. Petcoke can be hard or relatively soft. Physically, petcoke can resemble large sponges with numerous pores, or it can resemble small spheres, ranging in size from a grain of sand to a large marble. Chemically, petcoke can include a variety of elements and metals in a wide range of concentrations. Depending on these physical and chemical characteristics, petcoke is typically used in either an energy application, as a source of BTU's or in an industrial application, as a source of carbon. Fuel grade petcoke represents roughly 80 percent of worldwide petcoke production, and Oxbow is the worldwide leader in fuel grade petcoke sourcing and sales, handling more than 11 million tons per year. Oxbow sources petcoke from every major refining company in the world, including ExxonMobil, Valero, Chevron, and British Petroleum. Fuel grade petcoke is typically very high in heating value (BTUs per pound), produces virtually no ash when burned, and is most commonly used in electric power plants and cement kilns.