Life cycle inventory processes of the ArcelorMittal Poland (AMP) S.A. in Kraków, Poland—basic oxygen furnace steel production

Abstract

The goal of this paper is to describe the life cycle inventory (LCI) approach to steel produced by ArcelorMittal’s Basic Oxygen Furnace (AMBOF) in Krakow, Poland. The present LCI is representative for the reference year 2005 by application of PN-EN ISO 14040:2009 (PN-EN ISO 2009). The system boundaries were labeled as gate-to-gate (covering a full chain process of steel production). The background input and output data from the basic oxygen furnace (BOF) steelmaking process has been inventoried as follows: pig iron, scrap, slag forming materials (CaO), ferroalloys, Al, carbon and graphite carburizer (material for carburization of steel), isolating powder, consumption of energy and fuels including natural gas, blast furnace gas and coke oven gas, electric energy, steam, air, oxygen, industrial water and heat, emission of air pollutants, waste, internal transport and land use. LCI steelmaking process was developed mainly on the basis of the following sources: site-specific measured or calculated data, study carried out by the AGH University of Science and Technology in Krakow, AMP Environmental Impact Report, study carried out by the Faculty of Mining Surveying and Environmental Engineering of the AGH University of Science and Technology in Krakow, literature information and expert consultations. The functional unit (FU) is represented by 1,677,987 Mg of steel, produced by BOF steelmaking process. Time coverage is 2005. Operating parameters as well as air emissions associated with the BOF steelmaking process were presented. The production data (steel) was given. The emissions of SO2, NO2, CO, CH4, CO2, dust, heavy metals (Cr, Cd, Cu, Pb, Ni and Mn) and waste (slag and gas cleaning sludge) are the most important outcomes of the steel process. With regard to 1,677,987 Mg of steel produced by AMBOF, the consumption of natural gas, blast furnace gas and coke oven gas amounted to 10,671,997, 755,094 and 13,222,537.6 m3/year, respectively. Electric energy, steam, air, oxygen and heat input amounts were in the order of 45,003,611.3 kWh, 21,646.03 Mg, 107,592,526 m3, 90,611,298 m3 and 16,779.87 GJ, respectively. Direct emissions in air of SO2, NO2, dust, Cr, Cd, Cu, Pb, Ni, Mn, CO and CH4 from three converters (Nos. 1–3) were on the order of 28.966, 71.331, 752.05, 0.025, 0.024, 0.0216, 0.0156, 0.0163, 1.5694, 540.449 and 0.364 Mg, respectively. Total CO2 emission was 138,374 Mg. The amounts of slag and gas cleaning sludge were 276,709.64 and 16,749 Mg, respectively. The LCI study resulted in the development of a database with a vast inventory of data regarding steelmaking process in AMBOF referring to the year 2005. The output of the AMBOF LCI study is a set of gate-to-gate LCI data for steel production in BOF technology. This is the first tentative study to express steel production in Poland in terms of LCA/LCI in the steelmaking industry. The FU chosen for the present study is 1,677,987 Mg of steel produced in a classical BOF. The quality of data input in this LCI study is very good. The rules were used in accordance with ISO Standard for LCA. The methodological approach and boundaries that were made are transparent and fully documented. The purpose of this study is to help AMP authorities solve environmental and technical aspects as well as to train steel industry people in the field of life cycle assessment. In addition, this study can be extended to other processes involved in steelmaking route (via sintering plant/hot rolling plant). Moreover, these results move the LCI study on the steelmaking process one step forward. The LCI offers environmental information consisting of the list of environmental loads. The impact assessment phase aims to present more understandable results from the inventory analysis, and life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) will be the direction for future research. Another issue to discuss is the integration of LCA with risk assessment for industrial processes.