Analysis of Energy Content and CO2 Emissions in Different Combinations of Coke-Using and Coke-Less Processes for Steel Production

Abstract

Comparative estimates are made of energy content and emissions of carbon dioxide – a greenhouse gas – for different combinations of coke-using processes (blast-furnace – BOF, blast-furnace – electric-arc-furnace (EAF)) and coke-less processes (HyL-3 – EAF, MIDREX – EAF; ROMELT – EAF, COREX – EAF, direct alloying with vanadium (DAV), EAF operation on scrap) that are performed in the course of producing steel. These processes were compared as part of an energy-environmental analysis by examining both energy content and a parameter that characterizes the emission of the greenhouse gas CO2 – the technological greenhouse number (TGN). It was determined that the advantages in terms of energy content and CO2 emissions belong to EAF steelmaking with the use of scrap, the DAV process, the HyL-3 – EAF process, and the Midrex – EAF process. It should be noted that the steel obtained in the DAV process is alloyed with vanadium. In each case, the processes that do not involve the use of molten pig iron in steel production should be given the highest priority based on their ratings for energy content and greenhouse-gas emissions.