Steel Sector Research Articles

Cost effective decarbonisation of blast furnace – basic oxygen furnace steel production through thermochemical sector coupling

We present here a first-principles study of the sector coupling between a thermochemical carbon dioxide (CO2) splitting cycle and existing blast furnace – basic oxygen furnace (BF-BOF) steel making for cost-effective decarbonisation. A double perovskite, Ba2Ca0.66Nb0.34FeO6, is proposed for the thermochemical splitting of CO2, a viable candidate due to its low reaction temperatures, high carbon monoxide (CO) yields, and 100% selectivity towards CO. The CO produced by the TC cycle replaces expensive metallurgical coke for the reduction of iron ore to metallic iron in the blast furnace (BF). The CO2 produced from the BF is used in the TC cycle to produce more CO, therefore creating a closed carbon loop, allowing for the decoupling of steel production from greenhouse gas emissions. Techno-economic analysis of the implementation of this system in UK BF-BOFs could reduce steel sector emissions by 88% while increasing the cost-competitiveness of UK steel on the global market through cost reduction. After five years, this system would save the UK steel industry £1.28 billion while reducing UK-wide emissions by 2.9%. Implementation of this system in the world's BF-BOFs could allow the steel sector to decarbonise in line with the Paris Climate Agreement to limit warming to 1.5 °C.

Linguistic Pythagorean fuzzy CRITIC-EDAS method for multiple-attribute group decision analysis

Industrialization plays a significant role in the development and growth of a country. Pakistan is one of the developing countries which entirely depends upon their industrial steel sector to meet their economic growth. Pakistan Steel Mills Corporation (PSMC) is a Pakistan’s largest steel industry producing tonnes of steel every year but this production of steel has resulted in a rapid increase in industrial solid waste. Several techniques are available for industrial waste management, ranging from traditional methods to advanced technologies. But the selection of most suitable alternative is a complex task owing to numerous strategies available and multiple attributes involved in selection. To resolve this issue, we introduced a dynamic model for selecting best industrial waste management technique utilizing the linguistic Pythagorean fuzzy sets (LPFSs). The concept of LPFSs has proven to be a productive and advantageous approach in the development of decision problems to manage inconsistency in the escalating sophistication of expert systems. The main goal of this study is to introduce a general MAGDM model by integrating CRiteria Importance Through Intercriteria Correlation (CRITIC) method and Evaluation based on Distance from Average Solution (EDAS) method. Firstly, some Hamacher relations and operations are adapted to linguistic Pythagorean fuzzy environment which initiated a variety of Hamacher operators in the context of LPFSs. Meanwhile some fundamental properties of proposed operators are investigated. Secondly, a novel LPFH-CRITIC-EDAS technique is introduced. In the developed framework, the LPF-CRITIC method is used to calculate the criteria weights and the LPF-EDAS technique is utilized to evaluate the rank of alternatives. Furthermore, the flowchart of the proposed model is presented in a systematic way. Moreover, an example of the industrial waste management technique selection for PSMC is addressed to illustrate the feasibility of the proposed technique. Finally, the new framework is compared with existing techniques to demonstrate its strength. The comparative study reveals that the results of the proposed method are more feasible and practical than the existing techniques.

Current progress of process integration for waste heat recovery in steel and iron industries

More than half of the energy consumed globally is lost as heat. Recovering waste heat can increase system efficiency, reduce fuel consumption, and lower CO2 emissions. The iron and steel industry is one of the industrial sector's largest energy consumers. A considerable amount of waste heat is also lost during steel production, which is released into the atmosphere. Therefore, the iron and steel industry should prioritize increasing energy efficiency when saving energy. This article analyzes energy integration and application strategies for waste heat recovery throughout the iron and steel manufacturing sector. Waste heat from the iron and steel industry has shown that it can be used to provide heating, cooling, and electricity. According to a review of research studies conducted on waste heat recovery in the iron and steel sector, thermal terminal analysis, exergy analysis, and mathematical modeling techniques have proven useful in determining waste heat potential. The analyzes and information in this study can be used to fill research gaps for future studies and provide information on the potential for using waste heat in the iron and steel sector for multiple applications.

Application of the creeping trend model for forecasting of accident events in the steel industry in Poland

Purpose: The aim of the study to assess the possibility of using the creeping trend model in the forecasting of accidents at work in the steel sector in Poland, was presented. Design/methodology/approach: A four-stage research methodology was used to analyze the accident rate trend in the steel sector, based on: collecting empirical data, forecasting (creeping trend model), qualitative assessment of forecasts and determining the direction of activities in the field of health and safety. Findings: Based on the conducted research, it was found that it is possible to use the creeping trend model in forecasting the number of persons injured in accidents at work. The forecasts and their acceptance based on the criteria adopted in the methodology of own work made it possible to determine the directions of activities in the field of occupational health and safety in the steel sector in Poland. Research limitation/implications: The conducted analyses were limited to statistical data published by Statistic Poland. Forecasts of the number of persons injured in accidents in the steel sector were possible to determine thanks to the forecasting process using the creeping trend model. The forecasts are subject to errors, which is why it is important to interpret them more broadly, taking into account the specificity of the industry being the subject of the analyses. Practical implications: The forecasts can be important information on health and safety issues for the steel sector in Poland. The use of the creeping trend model, with the fulfillment of methodological assumptions (qualitative ocean of forecasts), can be useful in determining the direction of OSH activities in enterprises. Social implications: The article addresses the issue of the occurrence of accidents at work, the implementation of effective preventive measures in order to reduce them. Originality/value: The article presents the possibility of using the creeping trend model in the forecasting of the total number of persons injured in accidents in the steel sector in Poland. The forecasts and trend analysis can provide information for employers and employees of health and safety services regarding the effectiveness of the implemented preventive measures. Keywords: Creeping trend model, forecasting, accidents at work, steel industry. Category of the paper: Research paper.

Net-Zero transition in the steel sector: beyond the simple emphasis on hydrogen, did we miss anything?

There is an explosion of publications and of various announcements regarding the use of hydrogen in the steel sector as a way to arrive at Net-Zero steel production − particularly in Europe. Most of them describe process technologies on the one hand and commitment to implement them quickly in the steel sector in the form of roadmaps and agendas, on the other hand. The most popular process technology is H2 Direct Reduction (H2-DR) in a shaft furnace. Available technical literature, as abundant as it may be, is still fairly incomplete in making the pathway to Net-Zero explicit and credible. This paper tries to identify important issues which are not openly discussed nor analyzed in the literature, yet. Process-wise, open questions in technical papers are: (1) what are the best-fitted iron ores for H2-DR, (2) what downstream furnace, after H2-DR, can accommodate various raw materials, (3) how and how much carbon ought to be fed into the process, (4) what is the best design for the shaft, (5) should it be designed for both natural gas and H2 operations, or simply for H2, (6) how should the progress of R&D be organized from pilot plants up to full-scale FOAK plants and then to a broad dissemination of the technology, (7) what kind of refractories should be implemented in the various new reactors being imagined, etc. Cost issues are also widely open, as a function of green hydrogen, green electricity and carbon prices. How is hydrogen fed to the steel mill and what exactly is the connection to renewable electricity? Is the infrastructure that this calls for planned in sufficiently details? What is still missing is a full value chain picture and planning from mining to steel mills, including electricity and hydrogen grids. Two years after our last review paper on hydrogen, the overall picture has changed significantly. Countries beyond Europe, including China, have come up with roadmaps and plans to become net-zero by 2050, plus or minus 10 years. However, they do not rely as much on H2 alone, as Europe seems to be doing. What is most likely is that several process routes will develop in parallel, including, beyond H2-DR, Blast Furnace ironmaking and NG Direct Reduction with CCS, electrolysis of iron ore and scrap-based production in EAFs fed with green electricity, which would single-handedly support the largest part of production by the end of the century; as more and more scrap is to become available and be actually used. There is also a question for historians. The influence of Climate Change on Steel has been discussed continuously for more than 30 years. Why has the commitment to practical answers only solidified recently?

PREDICTION OF SILICOSIS IN IRON AND STEEL WORKERS USING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

Silicosis is one of the most common occupational lung diseases in Egypt, where its prevalence rate ranges from 18.5 % to 45.8% among workers exposed to free crystalline silica dust. Long-term contact to silica dust, which is prevalent in the iron and steel sector, can lead to silicosis, a crippling occupational lung disease. Periodic health tracking and worker medical evaluations are traditional methods for finding and managing the risk of silicosis; however, these techniques frequently have limitations in terms of accuracy and dependability. It is feasible to analyse sizable databases of worker health and exposure information using artificial intelligence. The prevalence and severity of silicosis in iron and steel workers may be lessened due to development of more precise and effective risk evaluation and management methods. This study aims to predict iron and steel workers liability to developing silicosis based on artificial intelligence. A case-control study design was used to fulfill the aim of this study. The study was conducted at the El Gedida Iron Mine area at Bahariya Oasis, Giza Governorate. A sample of 220 workers was included in this study. The participants received a questionnaire in addition to a standard medical examination. The researchers chose eight variables that influence silicosis based on a literature review then suggested an ensemble model based on the Feed Forward Neural Network, K-Nearest Neighbor, Fuzzy K-Nearest Neighbor, and Decision Tree. The experimental findings reveal that the suggested framework surpassed others in the automated prediction of silicosis, obtaining an accuracy of 97.2 percent. Keywords: Silicosis, K-Nearest Neighbor, Fuzzy K-Nearest Neighbor, Decision Tree DOI： https://doi.org/10.35741/issn.0258-2724.58.2.15

Pathways to Improve Energy Efficiency Under Carbon Emission Constraints in Iron and Steel Sector: Using Ebm, Nca and Qca Approaches

Pathways to Improve Energy Efficiency Under Carbon Emission Constraints in Iron and Steel Sector: Using Ebm, Nca and Qca Approaches

Flexible hydrogen heating technologies, with low environmental impact

Several roadmaps worldwide identify the decarbonization as one of the main pathways to transform the steel industry into a climate-neutral sector by 2050. New technologies and processes based on the massive use of renewable electricity, green hydrogen, and their combination, will play a fundamental role in this transformation. Aside this decarbonization pathway, the steel sector suffers from a strong inertia due to its characteristics of being very capital intensive, operating in a highly competitive global market and being characterized by an investment cycle between 20 and 30 years. In such scenario, the Tenova “Hydrogen Ready” combustion technology (which identifies a burner family able to work with any natural gas/hydrogen mixture up to 100% H2 without hardware modifications) represents a solution able to support the steelmakers through the current energy transition scenario and, at the same time, to ensure their investments for the future. This paper continues a previous work on the Tenova “SmartBurner” technology and shows the application of the “Hydrogen Ready” concept to three additional burner families, covering a wider range of downstream processes: Tenova TRKSX (flameless self-recuperative burner for heat treatment furnaces), Tenova TRGX (regenerative flameless burner for reheating furnaces), and the Tenova THSQ burners (flameless combustion system for batch annealing furnaces, heat treatment furnaces and other special heat treatment application). All these burners show NOx emissions well below the next envisioned limits (80 mg/Nm3 at 5% of O2 with furnace at 1250 °C) with all the NG/H2 mixtures, as well as with 100% H2. These results confirm the viability of the “Hydrogen Ready” approach, and the effectiveness of the flameless technology in controlling the NOx formation. The first industrial applications of these concepts are also presented.

Digital transformation of the steel distribution sector in the context of Industry 4.0

Purpose: Process digitization and artificial intelligence are the needs of today's industry. The Fourth Industrial Revolution along with the concept of Industry 4.0 provides a huge opportunity for the development of many industries. Industry 4.0 imposes high demands on production and logistics in cyber-physical systems. Therefore, the primary objective of this publication is to present the concept of Industry 4.0, with particular emphasis on the impact of its technological solutions on the process of distribution of industrial goods. The challenges and benefits of the concept of Industry 4.0 are also presented in the article. Design/methodology/approach: The work consists of two parts, the review of literature and the research part. The theoretical part presents the impact of technological solutions on the evolution of the distribution process. The empirical part focuses on the importance of technological solutions in the segment of Polish steel product distributors. In Poland, 9.7 million tons of steel is produced on average annually. In the world, according to the analyzes of the World Steel Association, 1781.5 million tons of steel was produced in 2022. Steel is an important construction and industrial material used in the production of cars, machines, ships, appliances, etc. Research was realized in Polish sector of companies. The questionnaire was build according the structure of Industry 4.0 based on pillars. In the questionnaire was used Likert scale from 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest. Findings: Steel sector companies are aware of the importance of the technology of Industry 4.0 in improving the course of the process and communication with the market. The respondents highly assessed the importance of the pillars of Industry 4.0 in the processes of storage and distribution of steel products, most often choosing 4 in the Likert scale from 1 to 5. Originality/value: Studies presented in this paper are strongly linked to the current concept of industrial development, which is Industry 4.0. Keywords: product distribution, Industry 4.0, steel industry. Category of the paper: research paper.

Yeast Biomass Use Optimization in the Wine Champanization Unit Biogenerator

The yeast biomass use optimization in continuous wine champagnization plants has been the research and development subject for many years aimed at improving processes and devices in the sparkling wines production. At the same time, a man pays careful attention to the possibility of enriching the champagnized wine with biologically active substances and surfactants generated by yeast. The work aim is to increase the process efficiency of enriching champagnized wine with biologically active substances and surfactants. The development subject is a new technology for the rational yeast biomass use, involving submitted recirculation circuit introduction with the yeast cells separation and their return to the technological cycle without stopping the flow; as well as design modernization of the biogenerator apparatus and membrane microfiltration module calculation. A man suggested to divide the biogenerator apparatus into four sections equal in volume by transverse perforated partitions made of flat steel sectors, laid on knife-edge, filled with attachments: in the first section there is a regular packing with a corrugated profile and a channel width of 50 mm, in the second section – an irregular dump packing of the Lessing rings 30×30 mm type, in the third and fourth sections there are similar packings with 20×20 mm and 10×10 mm feature sizes, respectively. As a result of the improved technology, the product is enriched with biologically active substances and surfactants. An increase in the number of cells released from the layers adhered to the sorbent intensifies the mass exchange processes between yeast and wine material. Tests of the upgraded biogenerator in production conditions demonstrated that the single fully autolysated cells yield increased by 2.7 times (from 0.2·106 to 0.55·106 cells/ cm3 ), which indicated a positive mass transfer dynamic by biologically active substances and surfactants cells, and consequently, the process effectiveness aimed at the finished products quality improvement.

A three-dimensional active biochar for sintering in steel industry and remove methylene blue by synergistic activation of H3PO4 and ZnCl2

In the context of treating waste with waste, the development of three-dimensional biochar that may be used for sintering in the steel sector as well as successfully removing methylene blue from waste water is effective. The biochar activated by H3PO4 alone (DCP), ZnCl2 alone (DCZ) and H3PO4 cooperated with ZnCl2 (DCM) were prepared to investigate the mechanism of the synergism of H3PO4 and ZnCl2 at pyrolysis temperature 500 °C (selecting from 300 °C to 1000 °C). The SEM analysis indicates DCM possesses a stereoscopic porous network comparing agglomeration and stacking of the others, and the SEM and BET analysis indicate that DCM possesses a stereoscopic porous network and higher effective pore volume (VM/VT = 0.951) than DCP (VM/VT = 0.584) and DCZ (VM/VT = 0.812). EDS, XPS and FTIR analysis revealed that the surface heteroatom of P and Zn enhanced on DCM compared with that of DCP (P weight%=6.39 vs 3.26) and DCZ (Zn weight% = 5.93 vs 1.85) although the activator dosage was halved for DCM. The methylene blue isotherm adsorption curve of DCM fits well with Freundlich and Dual Langmuir adsorption isotherms, the adsorption kinetics is in line with the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The results indicate that the adsorption process is based on a heterogeneous multilayer, that physisorption-chemisorption adsorption is the primary adsorption mechanism, and that the adsorption process is regulated by the combination of intra-particle and film diffusion. The DCM demonstrates to be a promising adsorbent for methylene blue removal, performing a high removal capacity at 576 mg/g. In this study, a feasible method to synergistically activate biochar from textile wastes was proposed, to deal with the removal of methylene blue.

The spatial spillover effect of international steel trade on carbon dioxide emissions.

The urgent global climate change situation forces the steel industry to confront enormous challenges and complex tasks. This research focuses on the steel sector and incorporates data from 56 nations between 2010 and 2018. We analyze the direct and indirect effects of the steel trade on CO2 emissions using the spatial Durbin model. The results show that Moran's I ranges from 0.414 to 0.521, suggesting that carbon emissions are very spatially dependent. Developed countries such as Japan, Germany, and the USA form high-high agglomeration areas. In contrast, Brazil, Thailand, and India constitute low-low agglomeration areas. Under the three spatial weight matrices, the direct effect coefficients of steel exports are 0.045, 0.038, and 0.057, and the indirect effect coefficients are - 0.006, - 0.076, and - 0.015, indicating that steel exports increase local CO2 emissions while decreasing carbon emissions in neighboring countries. Urbanization and per capita GDP have positive spatial spillover effects, while the spatial effect of R&D intensity is insignificant. Increased industrialization and renewable energy consumption positively affect carbon emission reduction in local and surrounding nations. The study provides empirical evidence for the steel industry to develop emission reduction strategies.

Hydrogen-based steel production and global climate protection: An empirical analysis of the potential role of a European cross border adjustment mechanism

The European Union's aim to become climate neutral by 2050 necessitates ambitious efforts to reduce carbon emissions. Large reductions can be attained particularly in energy intensive sectors like iron and steel. In order to prevent the relocation of such industries outside the EU in the course of tightening environmental regulations, the establishment of a climate club jointly with other large emitters and alternatively the unilateral implementation of an international cross-border carbon tax mechanism are proposed. This article focuses on the latter option choosing the steel sector as an example. In particular, we investigate the financial conditions under which a European cross border mechanism is capable to protect hydrogen-based steel production routes employed in Europe against more polluting competition from abroad. By using a floor price model, we assess the competitiveness of different steel production routes in selected countries. We evaluate the climate friendliness of steel production on the basis of specific GHG emissions. In addition, we utilize an input-output price model. It enables us to assess impacts of rising cost of steel production on commodities using steel as intermediates. Our results raise concerns that a cross-border tax mechanism will not suffice to bring about competitiveness of hydrogen-based steel production in Europe because the cost tends to remain higher than the cost of steel production in e.g. China. Steel is a classic example for a good used mainly as intermediate for other products. Therefore, a cross-border tax mechanism for steel will increase the price of products produced in the EU that require steel as an input. This can in turn adversely affect competitiveness of these sectors. Hence, the effects of higher steel costs on European exports should be borne in mind and could require the cross-border adjustment mechanism to also subsidize exports.

Investigating the economic and environmental impacts of a technological shift towards hydrogen-based solutions for steel manufacture in high-renewable electricity mix scenarios for Italy

Steel production is one of the most carbon-intensive industrial sectors, responsible for 8% of European CO2 emissions. While traditional furnaces strongly rely on the consumption of coal or natural gas, potential opportunities for decarbonization stand in the adoption of alternative technologies such as hydrogen-based Direct Reduction Iron (DRI) coupled with Electric Arc Furnaces (EAF). This work focuses on the Italian steel sector and aims at assessing the potential economic and environmental impact of a switch towards such hydrogen-based technology. Three scenarios have been analyzed, all of which are grounded on the common assumption that hydrogen is produced by employing electrolyzers purchasing electricity from the grid. In the first scenario, the share of electricity production from renewable sources (RES) in the national electricity mix coincides with the one in the current Italian situation. The second scenario reflects the national target of 55% of electricity generated by low-carbon technologies. In the last scenario, the RES share in the electricity mix is 100%, meaning steel production plants are fully supplied with green hydrogen. The analysis is carried out by adopting a multi-regional input-output model for sectorial LCA, which allows to highlight the interlinkages of the steel industry with other sectors in different regional areas. The results show that a switch to DRI with EAF technology, coupled with the increase of RES penetration, allows to reduce the CO2 emissions of the Italian steel sector up to 14%, leading to an increase in employment of about 12 thousand units. It is also worth noting that a larger penetration of electricity produced from RES, which are mostly local, would be a significant improvement in terms of energy security of the steel sector, lowering its dependence on foreign fossil resources.

Furnace-kiln system: How does the use of new technologies in charcoal production affect the carbon balance?

Most of the Brazilian charcoal is produced in rudimentary kilns without greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) control. The furnace-kiln system, which allows the burning of methane, stands out in this context. Thus, the goal of this study was to evaluate the carbon balance in the charcoal production with and without the use of the furnace-kiln system. The study was conducted in a farm in Lamim, State of Minas Gerais - Brazil. The average annual carbon increment (AACI) was calculated based on two forest inventories. The GHG emissions related to the eucalyptus forest were calculated based on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories. The collection and quantification of gases emitted during the wood carbonization were carried out using a gas analyser. The annual carbon balance was calculated using the AACI of the eucalyptus forest, the farm annual emissions, and the charcoal production emissions with and without methane burning. The farm carbon balance without methane burning was 13.9465 MgCO2e ha−1 and with methane burning was 15.9616 MgCO2e ha−1. Thus, the replacement of traditional kilns by the furnace-kiln system was shown to be effective to reduce the emissions established in the Paris Agreement in the Brazilian steel sector.

Multi-objective optimization and analysis of material and energy flows in a typical steel plant

The integrated optimization and analysis of material and energy flows are effective ways to reduce energy consumption and costs in the iron and steel sector. There is still a lack of research on the multi-objective optimization of the integrated steel production process and the auxiliary energy process. To fill this gap, this paper presented a single- and multi-objective optimization model for material and energy scheduling and utilization of the steelworks. This model considered physical and chemical conversion mechanisms in the production process, as well as operating characteristics and production-consumption relations of equipment in the gas-steam-electricity network. The objective function was constructed using comprehensive energy consumption (CEC) and economic cost (EC), and fuzzy sets were used to find a compromise solution and the trade-off operation strategies between the two goals. The CEC and EC effectively dropped by 5.09% and 7.29%, respectively, in comparison to the actual enterprise value, through the optimization of the material ratio, product structure, energy utilization, and other parameters of the steelworks. Additionally, a quantitative analysis of the effects of variables such as the ratio of pellets, the ratio of scrap, the hot charging temperature of the slab, and the utilization of surplus gases was conducted.

Decarbonization scenarios for the iron and steel industry in context of a sectoral carbon budget: Germany as a case study

CO2 emissions from global steel production may jeopardize climate goals of 1.5 °C unless current steel production practices will be rapidly decarbonized. At present, primary iron and steel production is still heavily dependent on fossil fuels, primarily coke. This study aims to determine which decarbonization pathways can achieve the strongest emission reductions of the iron and steel industry in Germany by 2050. Moreover, we estimate whether the German iron and steel industry will be able to stay within its sectoral carbon budgets for a 1.5 °C or 1.75 °C target. We developed three decarbonization scenarios for German steel production: an electrification, coal-exit, and a carbon capture and storage (CCS) scenario. They describe a phase-out of coal-fired production plants and an introduction of electricity-based, low-carbon iron production technologies, i.e. hydrogen-based direct reduction and electrowinning of iron ore. The scenarios consider the age and lifetimes of existing coal-based furnaces, the maturity of emerging technologies, and increasing recycling shares. Based on specific energy requirements and reaction-related emissions per technology, we calculated future CO2 emissions of future steel production in Germany. We found that under the decarbonization scenarios, annual CO2 emissions decrease by up to 83% in 2050 relative to 2020. The reductions of cumulative emissions by 2050 range from 24% (360 Mt CO2) under the electrification scenario up to the maximum of 46% (677 Mt CO2) under the CCS scenario compared to a reference scenario. This clearly demonstrates that the technology pathway matters. Nevertheless, the German steel sector will exceed its sectoral CO2 budget for a 1.5 °C warming scenario between 2023 and 2037. Thus, drastic measures are required very soon to sufficiently limit future CO2 emissions from German steel production, such as, a rapid decarbonization of the electricity mix, the construction of a hydrogen and CCS infrastructure, or early shutdowns of current coal-based furnaces.

Consumption-Driven Carbon Emission Reduction Path and Simulation Research in Steel Industry: A Case Study of China

China’s steel industry’s carbon emissions accounted for more than 60% of global carbon emissions, approximately 15% in China in 2020. China’s steel industry accounted for approximately 16% of China’s total carbon emissions in 2021. The ability to reduce the carbon dioxide emissions generated by the steel industry and protect the living environment for humans and nature has become a realistic issue for China. This paper constructs a steel consumption–carbon emission system. Research shows that by adjusting the GDP growth rate and CO2 emissions per unit of steel production, the carbon peak in the steel industry will advance to 2030 and the carbon emissions after the peak will be significantly reduced. The reduction in steel consumption in the construction and machinery sectors does not have a significant impact on carbon emissions from the steel industry, whereas the reduction in steel consumption in the transportation and infrastructure sectors has contributed to carbon reduction activities in the steel industry. When all four sectors are regulated simultaneously, it is found that the predicted carbon peaking time for the steel sector advances to 2029, fulfilling the goal of achieving carbon peaking by 2030. Carbon emissions should decrease after that point.

Prospects and challenges of the electrochemical reduction of iron oxides in alkaline media for steel production

Steelmaking industries have been facing strict decarbonization guidelines. With a net zero carbon emissions target, European policies are expected to be accomplished before 2050. Traditional steelmaking industry still operates by the carbothermic reduction of iron ores for steel production. Consequently, the steel sector is responsible for a large amount of CO2emissions, accounting for up to 9% of the CO2worldwide emissions. In this scope, the electrochemical reduction or electrolysis of iron oxides into metallic iron in alkaline media arises as a promising alternative technology for ironmaking. Significant advantages of this technology include the absence of CO2emissions, non-polluting by-products such as hydrogen and oxygen gases, lower temperature against the conventional approach (∼100°Cversus2000°C) and lower electric energy consumption, where around 6 GJ per ton of iron manufactured can be spared. The present minireview discusses the progress on the electrochemical reduction of iron oxides in alkaline media as a green steelmaking route. A historical overview of the global steelmaking against recent developments and challenges of the novel technology is presented, and the fundamental mechanisms of iron oxide reduction to iron and alternative iron feedstocks are discussed. Factors affecting the Faradaic efficiencies of the alkaline electroreduction of iron oxide suspensions or iron oxide bulk ceramics are also explored, focusing on the concurrent hydrogen evolution reaction. Overall, if scrutinized, this technology may become a breaking point for the steel industry sector.

Electric Arc Furnace Reactive Compensation System Using Zero Harmonic Distortion Converter

Steel production worldwide continues to grow and, consequently, also the energy consumption of the steel sector. With the applications of the electric arc furnace route in the steelmaking process, the concern with aspects of power quality and overload of the transmission grid lines increases. This work presents the zero harmonic distortion (ZHD) converter static synchronous compensator (STATCOM), which makes it possible to increase the displacement power factor of an electric arc furnace (EAF) application from 0.88 to 0.98 with total demand distortion in the grid around 1.44% with the ZHD prototype operation, this being accomplished without using high-order sinusoidal filters and with consolidated components in the industry.