A carbonaceous electrode having improved capacities for doping and dedoping of a cell active substance, such as lithium, and suitable for a non-aqueous solvent-type secondary battery, is constituted by a carbonaceous material having a pore volume of at least 0.55 ml/g of pores having a pore diameter of at most 5 &mgr;m as measured by mercury injection method, a potassium content of at most 0.5 wt. % as measured by fluorescent X-ray analysis, and a specific surface area of at most 100 m2/g as measured by nitrogen adsorption BET method. The carbonaceous material is advantageous produced by carbonizing a carbon precursor of plant origin having a potassium content of at most 0.5 wt. % as measured by fluorescent X-ray analysis, in contact with a stream of an inert gas optionally containing a halogen gas at a temperature of 700-1500° C.