Production of activated coke from acid sludge

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR PREPARING ACTIVATED CARBON HAVING A HIGH ADSORPTION CAPACITY FOR PROPANE FROM PETROLEUM ACID SLUDGE WHICH IS A MIXTURE OF CARBONACEOUS MATERIAL INCLUDING SULFONIC ACIDS AND SULFUR DERIVATIVES FROM A SULFURIC ACID TREATMENT OF A PETROLEUM DISTILLATE, WHICH COMPRISES SUPPLYING RECYCLED HOT COKE PARTICLES OF THE SLUDGE AT A TEMPERATURE ABOVE 400*C. TO THE INLET OF A SLUDGE DECOMPOSITION ZONE, COATING SAID HOT COKE PARTICLES AS THEY ARE MOVED FROM SAID INLET TOWARD THE OUTLET OF SAID SLUDGE DECOMPOSITION ZONE WITH SAID PLETROLEUM ACID SLUDGE, AGITATING THE COKE PARTICLES AS THEY ARE COATED WITH THE SLUDGE, DISTILLING VOLATILE SUBSTANCES FROM THE SLUDGE COATED COKE PARTICLES AS THESE PARTICLES ARE MOVED TOWARD THE OUTLET OF THE DECOMPOSTITION ZONE AT A RATE SUFFICIENT TO LEAVE THE COKE PARTICLES RETAINING A VOLATILE MATTER CONTENT OF 10 TO 20% MEASURE AT 1000*F. AND 6.5 TO 8 WEIGHT PERCENT SULFUR UPON BEING DISCHARGED FROM THE OUTLET OF THE DECOMPOSITION ZONE, CLASSIFYING THE RESULTING COKE PARTICLES DISCHARGED FROM THE SAID DECOMPOSITION ZONE TO SEPARATE SAID COARSE PARTICLES WHICH ARE RECYCLED, AND ACTIVATING THE CLASSIFIED FINER PARTICLES BY CONTACT WITHAN ACTIVATING GAS SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF STEAM AND CARBON DIOXIDE AT TEMPERATURES OF 700* TO 900*C. UNTIL 40 TO 90 WSEIGHT PERCENT OF THE COKE REMAINS AS ACTIVATED COKE PARTICLES.