Synthetic Graphite Powder from Petroleum Coke

Synthetic graphite powder is made by heating powdered petroleum coke above the temperature at which carbon turns to graphite. Scrap from graphite electrode making and lathe turnings is also crushed and sized into powder. Most of it goes to adding carbon to steel; some goes into batteries and brake linings. Edward Goodrich Acheson patented a process for making synthetic graphite in 1896 and began commercial production in 1897.