A Brief History
By definition from Wikipedia, “Coke: the fuel is a solid carbona-
ceous material derived from the destructive distillation of low-
ash, low-sulfur bituminous coal.”
Wikipedia also gives a brief history of coke, stating: “The use of
coke, as a fuel, has been with us for centuries. It was first found
to be used in China as early as the 9th century for heating and
cooking. In the early decades of the 11th century, ironworkers
in the Yellow River region of China began using it to fuel their
furnaces as wood was almost nonexistent in the area.”
A patent was granted in England in 1589 for the making of iron
and steel, along with the smelting of lead. In the patent was a
distinct reference to the processing of coal by “cooking.” Two
more patents were issued which mentioned coke, in 1620 as
