Use of Shot Coke as an Anode Raw Material

With the aluminum industry’s rapidly growing demand for anode grade petroleum coke, supplies have become very tight and the industry has started using cokes not considered suitable as little as five years ago. Shot coke is available in large volumes and is currently used for fuel and TiO2 applications. Rain CII Carbon and Century Aluminum started a project in 2004 to explore the use of shot coke and other isotropic cokes for anode production. The project was intended to address anode grade coke shortages being felt by the industry today. This paper summarizes the laboratory and plant test work completed and makes a strong case for routine incorporation of these cokes into anode blends. Depending on how it is used, shot coke can improve properties such as anode density and it offers a lower cost calcined coke in today’s world of escalating raw material costs.