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 easily produces a graphite powder for use as a lithium secondary battery negative electrode material that has a small specific surface area while reducing the energy consumption, and achieving a high graphitization efficiency. The method includes 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 15 parts by mass based on 100 parts by mass of the coke powder, to prepare a mixture, and pressing the mixture to prepare a compact, 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; heating the compact in a non-oxidizing atmosphere to effect carbonization and graphitization to obtain a graphitized compact; and grinding the graphitized compact.