EAF Smelting Trials of Waste-Carbon Briquettes at Avesta Works of Outokumpu Stainless AB for Recycling Oily Mill Scale Sludge from Stainless Steel Production

Abstract

The EAF steel plant of Avesta Works, Outokumpu Stainless AB, has been used to perform smelting reduction trials of briquettes consisting of oily mill scale sludge, carbon and other wastes. A total of 7 briquette smelting trials were performed. The heats were processed smoothly smelting 3 t of briquettes or 3.4 mass-% of metal charges. The quantities of FeSi powder and O2 gas injected and electric energy supplied were increased to smelt briquettes of 6 t. No impacts were found on the analyses of the crude stainless steel tapped from the EAF during the trials. The results of the briquette smelting have been evaluated by referring to the data from the reference heats and results from earlier laboratory tests. The recovery of Cr, Ni and Fe elements from the briquettes was nearly complete and was found to occur mainly through carbon reduction. The slag masses were not increased in three trials as compared with the reference heats. There were moderate increases in the slag masses in four trial heats. The increases were, nevertheless, lower by 52-69% than the slag masses generated by Sireduction of the briquette oxides. Afterwards, by referring results from the present trials, waste-carbon briquettes amounting to 1-3 t were smelted very smoothly in many of the EAF heats at Avesta Works to recycle the oily mill scale sludge and other wastes from stainless steel production.