In this research, the sulfur removal efficiency from high-sulfur petroleum coke in the presence of vacuum was investigated. Different feeding layer depth, heat treatment temperature, holding time, particle sizes, and vacuum degree were studied. The feeding layer has a significant effect on the sulfur removal rate, and the optimal feeding layer was 30 mm. A higher sulfur removal rate was obtained at 1500 degrees C, with a holding time of 2 h, particle sizes of -150 mu m, and 1 Pa vacuum. It was evident that the application of vacuum improved the sulfur removal efficiency. More importantly, elemental sulfur can be obtained instead of SO2 emission that occurs during traditional desulfurization by high-temperature calcinations. Finally, the mechanism of sulfur removal from petroleum coke was analyzed by XRD. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.