Environmentally friendly Iron-making processes

Essential in today’s changing scenario

A discussion
By: Partha Das Sharma (E.mail: sharmapd1@gmail.com)

Introduction –
Global demand for iron and steel is constantly growing, while at the same time prices for raw
materials, energy, and transport continue to increase. At the same time, the requirements of iron
making processes are to go compatible with the present ecology and environmental criteria of the
region. In this dynamic environment completely new strategies are required for both iron making
plant builders and operators. New ironmaking processes have been extensively explored with a
view to saving resources and energy, as well as reducing environmental pollution.
Therefore, certain criteria processes should follow, such as:
(a) Full range of cutting-edge solutions in the iron and steelmaking sector,
(b) Increased environmental protection and optimized processes for economical production,
(c) Processes with extended raw material flexibility to encounter increasing raw material
availability and cost.

The present scenario of iron and steel sector is very much challenging. Consolidation of the iron
and steel branches manifested itself in a significant increase of mergers and takeovers.
Nevertheless, the global iron and steel industry continues to expect strong growth. According to
the latest analysis, demand for steel will grow by up to 25% by the year 2015, mainly due to rapid
economic development in the highly populated Asian countries. In addition to transport and
logistics, above all, raw materials and energy are the global driving forces behind the market’s
dynamics. Energy costs will also continue to increase.

Growing environmental consciousness also contributes to market dynamics by prompting

construction of plants that meet increasingly stringent environmental standards. However,
existing plants that produce hot metal must continue to optimize their consumption parameters in
the future to achieve increased quality with constant or even lowered operation costs. This is the
only way they will be able to strengthen their market performance over the long term. Exact
analyses required to keep an overview of this complex market. These include analyses of raw
material and energy, feasibility studies and examinations of environmental performance. Today a
plant for hot metal and/or DRI production is much more than just a plant. It is part of the entire
value added chain in iron and steel production.

Technology trend in Ironmaking –

Today, direct smelting is a much sought-after prize. The traditional blast furnace route for
ironmaking is coming under increasing pressure - environmental and economic. Many have tried
to develop direct smelting technologies, but the challenge appears to be particularly difficult,
certainly more so than one might expect. Out of many processes following three are considered to
be most environment-friendly technology for ironmaking: (a) COREX® technology, (b) FINEX®
technology, (c) MIDREX® technology.

(a) COREX® technology – It is an industrially and commercially proven direct smelting

reduction process that allows for cost-efficient and environmentally compatible production of hot
metal directly from iron ore and non-coking coal. This is the only alternative to the conventional
blast furnace route consisting of sinter plant, coke oven and blast furnace. It distinguishes itself
from the blast furnace route by: (i) Direct use of non-coking coal as reducing agent and energy

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Partha Das Sharma (E.mail: sharmapd1@gmail.com)
source and (ii) Iron ore can be directly and feasibly charged to the process in form of lump ore,
pellets and sinter.

In this technology, iron ore (lump ore, pellets, sinter or a mixture thereof) are charged into a
reduction shaft where they are reduced to direct reduced iron (DRI) by a reduction gas moving in
counter flow. Discharge screws convey the DRI from the reduction shaft into the melter gasifier,
where final reduction and melting takes place in addition to all other metallurgical reactions. Hot
metal and slag tapping are done as in conventional blast furnace practice. Coal is directly charged
into the melter gasifier. Coal combustion by oxygen injected into the melter gasifier results in the
generation of a highly efficient reduction gas. This gas exits the melter, is cooled and is then
blown into the reduction shaft, reducing the iron ores in counter flow to DRI, as described above.
The gas leaving the reduction shaft is cooled and cleaned and is suitable for a wide range of
applications (e.g., power generation, DRI production or use in reheating furnaces).

Benefits of this process -

(i) Substantially reduced specific investment costs and operation costs compared with
conventional blast furnace route,
(ii) Outstanding overall environmental compatibility, as less carbon dioxide is produced;
(iii) Use of COREX export gas for a wide range of applications,
(iv) Use of a wide variety of iron ores and coals,
(v) Elimination of coking plants,
(vi) Hot-metal quality suitable for all steel applications.

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Partha Das Sharma (E.mail: sharmapd1@gmail.com)
COREX process of iron making is in operation at (i) Mittal Steel South Africa, Saldanha Steel
Works, South Africa; (ii) Jindal South West Steel, Toranagallu Works, India; (iii) Posco, Pohang
Works, Korea; (iv) Baosteel, China (v) Essar steel, India etc.

(b) FINEX® technology – It is an optimized fine-ore reduction process for the direct utilization
of the world's vast resources of low-cost iron ore fines for the production of iron. The FINEX®
smelting-reduction process based on the direct use of non-coking coal and fine ore is perhaps the
most exciting iron making technology on the market today. This is a process with great potential
with regard to productivity and the low cost production of hot metal.

In this process fine iron ore is preheated and reduced to fine direct reduced iron (DRI) in a three
or four stage fluidized bed reactor system. The upper reactor stage serves primarily as a
preheating stage. In the succeeding stages the iron ore is progressively reduced to fine DRI. The
fine DRI will be compacted and then charged in the form of hot compacted iron (HCI) into the
melter gasifier. The charged HCI is subsequently reduced to metallic iron and melted. The heat
needed for the metallurgical reduction work and the melting is supplied by coal gasification with
oxygen. The reduction gas, also produced by the coal gasification, is passed through the fluidized
bed reactors. The generated FINEX export gas is a highly valuable product and can be further
used for DRI/HBI production, electric energy generation or heating purposes.

Benefits of this process -

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Partha Das Sharma (E.mail: sharmapd1@gmail.com)
(i) Favorable economics in comparison to the blast furnace route,
(ii) Environmental benefits due to savings in resources and energy, as well as lower emissions,
(iii) Direct utilization of non-coking coal,
(iv) High valuable export gas for a wide range of applications in metallurgical processes and
energy production,
(v) Production of hot metal with similar quality to the blast furnace,
(vi) Reduction of process steps.
FINEX process of iron making is in development / trial-operation stage at Posco, Pohang Works,
Korea.

(c) MIDREX® technology – This is a natural gas based shaft furnace process that converts iron
oxides in the form of pellets or lump ore into direct reduced iron (DRI).

Benefits of this process -

(i) Fastest start-up, (ii) Simple operation, (iii) Low pressure shaft furnace etc.
MIDREX process of iron making is in operation at Saudi Iron and Steel Company Ltd.
(HADEED), Al-Jubail, Saudi Arabia.

Discussion –
Now the fact is, blast furnace steelmakers, as a group, are only too aware that they are under
considerable pressure. Environmental issues with coke ovens and sinter plants continue to plague
them, and periodic blast furnace re-lines (in some cases costing a significant proportion of what a
new direct smelting plant might cost) continually force re-examination of alternatives. For most,
margins are already thin and capital investments needed to address individual environmental
issues are not sufficiently attractive. The temptation is to hold off until a decision on the next
significant reline falls due, or coke ovens have to be replaced, then assess whether or not a new
'clean' solution, such as direct smelting is more cost-effective.

What benefits would a steelmaker in this situation hope to achieve from direct smelting? In my
opinion, the wish-list might be:

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Partha Das Sharma (E.mail: sharmapd1@gmail.com)
(i) Ability to use iron ore fines directly, without the need to sinter or pelletise. This will make
environmental issues currently associated with sinter plants disappear.
(ii) Ability to use coal directly, with no coking or other thermal pre-treatment. Environmental
concerns related to coke ovens will vanish as a result.
(iii) Ability to use iron ore with higher phosphorus levels, leading to increased iron ore reserves.
(iv) Coal consumption rates better than or comparable to those of the blast furnace, leading to
similar (or lower) carbon dioxide emissions.
(v) Single-train capacities which can sensibly replace a blast furnace, in the range 1.5-4.0 Mt/a.
(vi) Ability to recycle iron-bearing wastes.

Therefore, the challenge to the direct smelting technology provider is to tackle most of the above
problems faced by steel makers and make the process more compatible with greener environment
standards with better economy.

Conclusion –
There is increasing need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Among environmental problems,
global warming is the closest and most serious one to us. How to cope with generation of
greenhouse gas (GHG), which causes global warming, is a huge challenge for human beings.
Overall, it is a hard fact that GHG emissions have been on the rise. Our society is now required to
introduce appliances / processes with excellent raw material and energy saving functions and use
clean energy with low GHG emissions to operate these appliances.

References:
1. http://www.tarantosociale.org/tarantosociale/docs/2905.pdf
2. http://environmentengineering.blogspot.com/2008/05/environment-friendly-corex-finex-
and.html
3. http://environmentengineering.blogspot.com/2008/02/environment-friendly-corex-process-
of.html
4. http://knol.google.com/k/partha-das-sharma/coke-and-environmental-impacts-in-
making/oml631csgjs7/24
5. http://www.baosteel.com/plc_e/02news/ShowArticle.asp?ArticleID=1048
6. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/09/060912215653.htm
7. http://www.jfe-holdings.co.jp/en/investor/business-report/2007/pdf/jfe_br2007.pdf

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