Abstract
This paper analyses some possible means by which renewable power could be integrated into the steel manufacturing process, with techniques such as blast furnace gas recirculation (BF-GR), furnaces that utilize carbon capture, a higher share of electrical arc furnaces (EAFs) and the use of direct reduced iron with hydrogen as reduction agent (H-DR). It is demonstrated that these processes could lead to less dependence on—and ultimately complete independence from—coal. This opens the possibility of providing the steel industry with power and heat by coupling to renewable power generation (sector coupling). In this context, it is shown using the example of Germany that with these technologies, reductions of 47–95% of CO2 emissions against 1990 levels and 27–95% of primary energy demand against 2008 can be achieved through the integration of 12–274 TWh of renewable electrical power into the steel industry. Thereby, a substantial contribution to reducing CO2 emissions and fuel demand could be made (although it would fall short of realizing the German government’s target of a 50% reduction in power consumption by 2050).
Highlights
The growth of the global economy and population is strongly associated with a continuous increase in primary energy demand
In a bid to contribute to filling this gap, this study evaluates blast furnace gas recirculation (BF-GR) [20,21], blast furnace carbon capture (BF-CC) [20,21], the possibility of a higher share of steelmaking being conducted with electrical arc furnaces (EAFs) [22] and the direct reduction of iron ore with renewable hydrogen (H-directEnergies reduction (DR)) [23] technologies and methods that have the potential to reduce sector CO2 emissions, and to shift the steel industry’s energy demand away from coal to other energy carriers that can be provided by renewable energies
This study demonstrates that it is possible to reduce CO2 emissions by up to 95% through the integration of renewable electrical power into the currently coal-based steel industry by using alternative technologies
Summary
The growth of the global economy and population is strongly associated with a continuous increase in primary energy demand. In 2012, 81% of energy was generated by fossil fuels, which emitted around 30.2 billion tons of CO2 [1]. Energy Agency (IEA) outlines in the “450 Scenario” that the average increase of global temperature could be limited to 2 ◦ C if CO2 emissions could be reduced to 22 billion tons a year by 2035. This would mean that annual global CO2 emissions must be reduced by approximately 30% from the year 2012 until 2035. In its energy concept 2010/2011, it set out the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in Germany by 80–95% by 2050 against 1990 levels, with a simultaneous reduction of electrical power demand by 25% and primary energy demand by 50% by 2050 against
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