TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Method: The carbonizing step comprises heating the solids above 400 degrees C in an inert environment. The method further comprises incorporating the carbonaceous material into an electrode of an electrochemical energy cell. Preferred Components: The oxidizer: is liquid including nitric acid (preferred), thionyl chloride, peroxide, perchloric acid or benzoyl peroxide; is gaseous including oxygen, ozone, nitrogen dioxide or sulfur trioxide; or is ammonium persulfate. The solvent is an organic compound or its mixture and includes at least one of xylene (preferred) or toluene. The hydrocarbons are at least one of decant oil having a boiling point of above 450 degrees C (preferred), petroleum refinery vacuum residual, thermal cracked oils, pyrolysis tars or coal tars. The hydrocarbons lack content that is insoluble in the solvent, prior to the reacting the hydrocarbons with oxidizer. The mixture includes carbonaceous suspended particles or coke particles, which are coated by the constituents, upon the reaction of the hydrocarbons with oxidizer. The temperature of the mixture is above 70 degrees C and remains below 120 degrees C during the reaction of the hydrocarbons with oxidizer. A mass ratio of the solvent to the hydrocarbons, and hydrocarbons to the oxidizer is 0.2-10 and 15-1, respectively. EXAMPLE - Decant oil (19.6 g) having 510 degrees C boiling point fractions, and xylene (7.3 g) were mixed and heated to 100 degrees C to form a mixture. While the mixture was continuously agitated, 69% nitric acid (4 g) was added into the mixture at 100 degrees C. Next, the mixture was agitated and heated to 138 degrees C, with additional boiling xylene added, making ratio of xylene to decant oil 5-1, prior to cooled to 23 degrees C. Xylene insoluble solid particles were then separated out of the mixture, washed twice with of xylene (200 ml) and dried at 100 degrees C under vacuum for 15 hours. A stabilization was conducted under reduced air pressure (-20 inches mercury) with the heating sequence of: 5-180 degrees C/minute, held at 180 degrees C for 1 hour; 1-200 degrees C/minute, held at 200 degrees C for 1 hour; 1-250 degrees C/minute, held at 250 degrees C for 3 hours; and 1-300 degrees C/minute, held at 300 degrees C for 10 hours. Carbonization was conducted under the same condition in the same furnace under nitrogen gas atmosphere with a temperature profile of: 5-350 degrees C/minute, held at 350 degrees C for 1 hour; 5-450 degrees C/minute, held at 450 degrees C for 2 hours; and 5-850 degrees C, held at 850 degrees C for 2 hours and cooled down at 5 degrees C/minute to ambient temperature. After the carbonization, carbon content that remained was 69% of initial solid content.