CO₂ Emission Reduction in Blast Furnaces

Abstract

Blast furnace (BF) represents the dominant hot metal-making process all over the world and one of the main energy-consuming processes. Modern research in the field focuses on the increase in plant productivity through energy saving and on the greenhouse emission reduction compatible with legal limits. The iron and steel industry is one of the biggest industrial emitters of CO₂. It is estimated that between 4 and 7 % of the anthropogenic CO₂ emissions originate from this industry in EU-27, which generated 252.5 million tons of CO₂ emissions on average during the period 2005–2008. Productivity is mainly governed by relevant input parameters such as material rates, material properties, and operating conditions. All the dominant input parameters and their variation have been analyzed in the present study, and they have been optimized in order to increase the plant productivity and reduce the greenhouse emissions. The study suggests new solutions in all processing parameters in order to improve plant productivity and to reduce the dangerous emissions.