Method of producing carbonaceous bodies

A method for producing calcined carbonaceous bodies from shaped raw carbonaceous bodies containing a binder which upon heating undergoes softening and releases organic volatile compounds, the method comprising the steps of:

• placing said shaped raw carbonaceous bodies on a loading platform of a truck,
• covering said shaped raw carbonaceous bodies with a removable protective reusable covering structure of heat resistant material having a top wall, side walls supporting said top wall and having bottom edges resting in use on said loading platform and delimiting therewith a bottom area on said platform defining with said side walls and said top wall an enclosure structure for said shaped raw carbonaceous bodies, said enclosure structure having at least one wall area made of gas-pervious material including a layer of antioxidant powder filler,
• adjusting the position of said covering structure on said loading platform so that the one wall area is in spaced relationship with at least a part of an outside surface area of said shaped raw carbonaceous bodies,
• moving said truck with thereon said enclosure structure and said shaped raw carbonaceous bodies enclosed therein through a tunnel type furnace having in succession a pre-heating zone, a combustion heating zone, an intermediate vestibule zone, a calcining zone, a first cooling zone and a second cooling zone, and heating in said preheating zone said shaped raw carbonaceous bodies up to about 200.degree. C. at a maximum heating rate of 10 C. per hour,
• further heating in said combustion heating zone said pre-heated shaped raw carbonaceous bodies up to a temperature in the range of 600.degree.-700.degree. C. at a heating rate of up to 50.degree. C. per hour while supplying said pre-heating and said combustion heating zones with combustion supporting gaseous media comprising at least in said combustion heating zone an oxygen content of at least 2% by volume and maintaining in said combustion heating zone said temperature range whereby substantially all said organic volatile compounds released in said combustion heating zone by said shaped raw carbonaceous bodies are combusted during passage therethrough of said truck with thereon said enclosure structure,
• while moving said truck through said intermediate vestibule zone, preventing gas flow from said combustion heating zone into said calcining zone through said intermediate vestibule zone,
• removing said covering structure in said intermediate vestibule zone from said heated shaped raw carbonaceous bodies to expose the surfaces of said heated shaped raw carbonaceous bodies and recirculating said protective covering removed in said vestibule zone for covering fresh shaped raw carbonaceous materials fed to said furnace,
• while moving said truck with the exposed heated carbonaceous bodies thereon through said calcining zone, heating said carbonaceous bodies in said calcining zone up to 1000.degree.-1200.degree. C. to thereby obtain calcined carbonaceous bodies,
• while moving thereafter said truck with said calcined carbonaceous bodies thereon through said first cooling zone, cooling down therein said calcined carbonaceous bodies to at least 400.degree.-450.degree. C.,
• and while moving further said truck with said cooled calcined carbonaceous bodies so cooled thereon through said second cooling zone and further cooling therein said calcined carbonaceous bodies while supplying said second cooling zone with oxygen containing media and preventing gas flow between said first and said second cooling zone.