Description
5.2.3
In the pursuit of decarbonization, the steel industry is increasingly adopting Electric Arc Furnaces (EAFs) due to their lower carbon footprint and operational flexibility. EAFs can efficiently utilize diverse raw materials, such as scrap steel, pig iron, and Direct Reduced Iron (DRI), to adapt to fluctuating market conditions, resource availability, and product quality requirements.
As the...
Problem and significance
Existing valorization processes for the treatment of Fe-rich and Zn-containing steelmaking by-products or wastes need a source of heat and a reductant. In most cases a fossil fuel like coal, coke or natural gas is used. The large rate of fossil fuels/reductants needed make pyrometallurgical processes very intensive in terms of CO2 emissions. Following the aim of...
The transition of the iron and steel industry to low-emission systems is mandatory for meeting the global targets of greenhouse gas emission reduction. As the sector still heavily relies on fossil fuels, the shift is particularly challenging. Hydrogen-based direct reduced iron (H2-DRI) has gained increasing attention, and it is currently considered one of the most promising option for...
Today, commercial direct reduction (DR) processes predominantly use natural gas for the reduction of iron ores and emits large amounts of CO2. One way to decrease the CO2 emissions is by using carbon-neutral reducing agents such as biocarbon. This study compares the direct reduction behavior of a magnetite ore concentrate by different reducing agents: pure CO gas, anthracite (a low-volatile...
Against the background of our industry’s decarbonization, iron production is as essential topic for the steel industry and the availability of raw materials (e.g. technological requirement for virgin iron units when producing certain steel grades and – lagging - scrap availability in emerging economies) are two main driving forces.
Traditional, carbon-intense production route can be...
Steel production is a major contributor to global CO₂ emissions, primarily due to the reliance on coking coal in conventional iron ore reduction processes. This study proposes an innovative system for the direct reduction of iron ore through a smelting process utilizing biochar as a renewable reducing agent, coupled with efficient CO₂ capture to minimize the carbon footprint of...
The transition to sustainable steel production is a critical challenge in reducing the environmental impact of high-temperature metallurgical processes. While basic oxygen route steelworks are nowadays focused on the development of new production processes for decarbonization of the iron reduction, the Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) route producers have the potential to eliminate almost all their...
The operation of strip/coil galvanizing furnaces is significantly influenced by the choice of heating technology, which affects thermal uniformity, energy consumption, service life, maintenance costs, and CO2 emissions. Traditionally, gas-fired radiant tubes have been widely employed. However, the transition to electric heating solutions presents potential advantages in terms of thermal...
This paper presents Rotodynamic heating technology, which enables the decarbonization and electrification of the steel industry for high-temperature process heating, in line with its transition towards a fossil-free future. The steel industry is undergoing significant changes in its pursuit of carbon neutrality, demanding innovative solutions.
The paper compares various decarbonization...
To reduce CO2 emission H2 could be used as a fuel for energy intensive thermal processes such as hot rolled strip annealing. This article presents approach and results of laboratory trials at developing an alternative CO2-free fuel application for the annealing of Non Grain-Oriented (NGO) electrical steels in the annealing and pickling line (APL), where the annealing of the material is carried...
In the race towards Net Zero, ArcelorMittal is committed to reduce their CO2e emissions by 30% in Europe and 25% worldwide by 2030. To achieve these ambitious goals, the group is looking at using (and potentially self-producing) bio-chars to substitute fossil fuels (coal and coke) in the different iron and steel-making processes. Here, the production of bio-chars for the substitution of coke...
The PyroLIBS system is a next generation technology for pyrometallurgy, capable of continuous and instant measurement of chemical compositions for molten materials. The present paper presents the early results of its first industrial implementation on a blast furnace runner, for continuous hot metal chemistry and temperature measurement.