Petcoke is manufactured differently than metallurgical coke (met coke), and it has different properties. Bituminous coal is separated into two subtypes by use, which are metallurgical and thermal. Met coke can be formed from the special coking properties can form met coke from of low-sulfur, low-ash bituminous coal.
Special coke ovens fuse inherent ash and fixed carbon by heating metallurgical-grade coal at one thousand to two thousand degrees Fahrenheit without air. Bituminous caking coals soften and behave like plastic at 400 degrees Celcius, and they begin to fuse at higher temperatures. Volatile gases trapped inside the coal cause it to swell until the high heat expels them. Finally, the mass resolidifies to produce a porous solid fuel.
Petcoke has a higher nitrogen and sulfur content, giving it a higher heating value than met coke and bituminous coal. It also has a lower ash content. Petcoke forms in a highly thermal environment, which gives it a low volatile content.
