Process for manufacturing graphite powder for lithium secondary battery negative electrode material

A method for producing a graphite powder for use as a lithium secondary battery negative electrode material, the method comprising:

• melt-mixing a coke powder and a carbon precursor binder so that an amount of fixed carbon included in the carbon precursor binder is 5 to 10 parts by mass based on 100 parts by mass of the coke powder, to prepare a mixture, the coke powder being obtained by heating a green coke powder at 600 to 1450° C. in a non-oxidizing atmosphere, the green coke powder having a cumulative particle size at 50% in a volumetric cumulative particle size distribution of 5 to 50 μm;
• pressing the mixture by cold isostatic pressing at a pressure of 100-1000 kgf/cm2 to prepare a compact;
• heating the compact in a non-oxidizing atmosphere to effect carbonization and graphitization to obtain a graphitized compact;
• and
• grinding the graphitized compact,
• wherein a bulk density of the compact obtained by pressing is 1.2 to 1.8 g/cm3, and
• wherein the carbon precursor binder comprises:
• (1) ethylene heavy-end alone, or
• (2) at least one selected from (A) coal tar pitch and petroleum pitch, and (B) at least one selected from the group consisting of anthracene oil, creosote oil, and FCC decant oil.