In China, the demand for coke used for fuel exceeds domestic supply. A new process that produces coke from low calory coal will increase Chinese supply of coke and provide a less expensive fuel for the steel industry. The process is projected to provide the means to produce about 10 million tons of coke per year. About 20.3 million tons of furnace coke are produced in China annually. 

Goal: The project goal is to further refine the process to meet industry standards. The invention is a process for manufacturing metallurgical grade coke briquettes and blocks from salvaged coke dust by mixing it with a precise amount of waste coal dust and a proprietary binder. The mix is heated in a pyrolyzer. In each batch, the gaseous output fuels the process, while the liquid output is used completely to bind the briquettes. Coke dust and coal dust are blended such that there are no excess liquids or gases, resulting in zero discharge to the environment.

The clean production of coke from waste carbonaceous fines consumes waste products, as it relies on the coke-fines discards from coke manufacture as a raw material. The process is similar to that used in conventional coking ovens, except that the production of tars and volatiles is restricted to that required for binding. A key advantage of the process is that it does not produce a by-product, as the process consumes the hydrocarbons