Page 22 - Steel Tech India eMagazine Volume January 2021

81. Ŗ 01 Ŗ ,CPWCT[

wires remain entrapped within the body of a car or a Depending on Carbon intensity of the power generation
dishwasher being demolished. But even if we imagine in the context where the plant operates, producing
that a process for removing tramp elements from the 1ton of liquid steel through DR-EAF route producesat
liquid willeventually become available,there simply least 50% less CO emissions than the conventional
2
would not be scrap enough in the market to cover for a BF-BOFroute.The emissions can be even less if
continuously increasing steel consumption. In mature one leverages in full the peculiar features of the
markets (like north America) the available scrap covers ENERGIRON™ Direct Reduction technology:the
about 50% of the total need of raw materials. scheme includes by default a CO absorption system that
2
Industrial Alternatives to the BF-BOF Route: selectively removes CO from the process gas stream
2
Directly Reduced Iron for CCU/CCS applications. Additionally, ENERGIRON
modules allow use of variable percentages of Hydrogen
The cleanest, least impacting, industrially-proven
technology for ironmaking is reportedly the direct in the feed and, eventually, the use of pure Hydrogen
reduction of iron ore pellets using Natural Gas instead as fuel.
of Coke, coal or lignite to generate the reductant mix. 6JCPMU VQ VJG KPJGTGPV ƀGZKDKNKV[ QH VJKU VGEJPQNQI[
The NG-based direct reduction is achieved by cracking operating at high pressure and temperature and using
the molecules of hydrocarbons to form a mix of CO the same DRI pellets as catalyst for the reforming,
and Hydrogen, whereas the carbon-based reduction ENERGIRON scheme has been chosen as basis for
processes such a s BF operate by partially oxidizing the VJG ſTUV J[FTQIGP DCUGF UVGGNOCMKPI HCEKNKV[ KP VJG
charged Carbon to CO only. Some technologies use world, currently under construction and expected to be
external reformer for cracking natural gas to generate operative in 2021. According to the preliminary studies
hydrogen and carbon monoxide. For the case of the of the consortium of owners, the total emissions per
ENERGIRON scheme, the natural gas is directly fed ton of crude steel produced will be well below 50kg,
to the process for in-situ reforming of hydrocarbons for thirty times less than the emissions of a conventional
C OQTG GHſEKGPV IGPGTCVKQP QH TGFWEKPI ICUGU CPF VJG BF-BOF cycle.
possibility of using the same scheme for any energy
source. Once the iron oxides in the ore are reduced to The production of DRI worldwide has been continuously
solid metallic iron pellets (DRI), the hot pellets are fed ITQYKPI 6JG őUJCNG ICU TGXQNWVKQPŒ JCU UKIPKſECPVN[
into an EAF where they are molten using electricenergy lowered the cost of this commodity in several areas
CPF TGſPGF D[ KPLGEVKPI QZ[IGP VQ TGOQXG VJG GZEGUU KP VJG YQTNF DQQUVKPI VJG RTQſVCDKNKV[ QH VJKU TQWVG KP
Carbon and reach the required temperature.It is also countries outside of the traditional production areas
possible to blend up to 30% DRI pellets in the burden of such as MENA where large reserves of NG are
a Blast Furnace to increase productivity andreduceCoke available.
and PCI consumption.

Fig. 3: Notes:(*) Without CO off-taking/commercialization(**) With CO off-taking/commercialization, H % as energy
2 2 2
input

20 STEEL TECH