The suitability of new environmentally-friendly coal-based products for the preparation of cokes with a highly oriented microstructure is investigated. These products (AO-A and AO-B) are obtained from two different stages of the processing of an industrial anthracene oil. The composition and degree of polymerization determine their ability to produce cokes with highly oriented textures. The transformation of AO-A into a highly oriented coke requires pyrolysis temperatures of 450-460 degrees C, residence times of 8-20 h and a pressure of 5 bar, whereas AO-B, which is more polymerized, requires lower temperatures (420-440 degrees C) and shorter residence times (8 h) without the application of any external pressure. The larger extent of highly oriented microstructures present in cokes from AO-A is explained from the greater hydrogen transfer capacity during the coking process. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.