In order to develop a new and cost effective formed coke production process which does not require higher temperature carbonization stage, coke breeze was briquetted with resol binders and the change in the tensile strength of the briquettes with the amount and the type of the alkaline metal hydroxides, alkaline earth metal oxides, their carbonates and amine catalysts were studied. It was recognized that carbonates of alkaline or alkaline earth metals have a modifying effect on the properties of resol binders which results in briquettes of higher tensile strength than the resol produced with hydroxide or oxides of these metals. The average tensile strength of the briquettes was found to be much higher with the sodium carbonates catalyzed resol used as binder comparing with sodium hydroxide catalyzed resoles. The former was 45.40 MPa while the latter was 33.72 MPa. Although triethanolamine catalyzed resol, resulted in the briquettes of the highest tensile strength (53.43 MPa), among the catalyst studied in this work, due to flammability caused by triethanolamine, it was found unsuitable for this purpose. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.