Pelletizing disc Niagara Scarabaeus 7500 produces DR-pellets, which reduce CO2 emissions in steel production.
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, negotiated and signed in 1992. Thus, the climate protection has been accorded increasing international importance. The focus has been put on energy-intensive industries as emitters of greenhouse gases. Beside emissions trading, mainly technological changes and improvements lead to first success. Europe has the unique opportunity to lead the transformation of its economy to a future, in which it is CO2 neutral, environmentally responsible, circular and able to compete internationally, addressing third country trade distortions without inhibition.
However, unilateral and asymmetrical regulation in the EU and Germany poses the risk of relocating production and emissions. Steel is central to the EU economy, and it underpins the development of major manufacturing sectors right along the value chain. Our industry sustains 2.6 million direct and indirect jobs in the EU[1]. Therefore, exists a clear action plan to establish a market for green steel in the period 2021 to 2030. In plain language, the sector has to develop, upscale and roll-out new technologies that could reduce EU steel production’s CO2 emissions by 30% by 2030 compared to 2018 emissions (or about 55% compared to 1990) and by 80 to 95% by 2050, while contributing to greenhouse gas mitigation across all sectors [2].
There are two different types of steel production. One is the economically and ecologically interesting scrap recycling. However, the global demand for steel cannot be met exclusively by the recycling economy; the smelting of natural iron ore is still crucial.
The worldwide pig iron production developed in the years 2007 to 2015 with an annual increase of about 3.5%. Iron ore production in 2019 is estimated at 2.850 billion tons, and according to conservative forecasts, global iron ore production is expected to reach 3.119 billion tons by 2028, an annual increase of only 0.9%.
Reaching the named EU steel production’s CO2 emissions an expressive focus transversal in the steel industry is necessary. Blast furnaces didn´t show the technical potential to reach the goals of CO2 emissions reduction of 95 %. Therefore, a hydrogen-based steelmaking with direct reduction furnaces are necessary. The plants have to be able to run on green hydrogen, produced with water electrolysis powered by renewable energy sources. It has to be noted, that the production of sufficient quantities of green hydrogen to affordable prices is expected to be the key to success in zero CO2 emissions production of steel.
Anyhow, technical changes in steelmaking going hand in hand with changes of the requirements on the raw materials. Natural Iron Ores did not have the quality to be processed in CO2 emissions reducing technologies. Thus, intensive processing of the ore, especially an enrichment of the natural ores is necessary. In the end of the mineral processing of the iron ore concentrates they have to be prepared for the direct reduction, so called pelletizing. Thus, global pelletizing capacities are expected to increase by 5.5 % per annum until 2025. These figures impressively illustrate that growth agglomeration in the pelletizing disc is not only becoming better known, but also more popular.
In the years from 2005 to 2015, a stable worldwide production of only 56 million tons of sponge iron (DRI) could be observed. In spite of various developments and modern technologies of direct reduction processes, a clear industry focus on the conventional blast furnace converter route was still evident. However, the latest efforts to reduce global CO2 emissions show a trend reversal. From 2017 to 2018 alone, global DRI production increased by 11.6%, and by a further 7% in the following year. Modern direct reduction plants use designed iron ore pellets, with very specific pellet size distributions and basicities. These CO2 emissions reducing iron ore pellets can only be produced in an economically viable way with modern pelletizing discs.
Today, most recycled materials of steelworks could be reprocessed via the Sinter furnace and get back into the blast furnace. In the future these metal containing dust and sludge from steelworks could not be recycled in direct reduction plants with conventional processes, as there is a lack of sintering. That leads as well to the need of pelletizing discs in steelworks in order to process the dust and sludge to create materials, which could be recycled.
HAVER ENGINEERING supports iron ore pelletizing plants with process analysis, feasibility studies and scale up of different mineral processing technologies, especially in pelletizing and screening in order to create pellets, which could be used in modern hydrogen based direct reduction plants. The SCARABEUS technology, developed by HAVER ENGINEERING GmbH, engineered and manufactured by HAVER NIAGARA GmbH is the perfect pelletizing disc to create pellets, which could be used to reduce CO2 emissions in steel production.
Furthermore, HAVER ENGINEERING GmbH supports its customers from steelworks to create transportable, storable and ready to use agglomerates from steelworks remnants. Sure, the steelworks remnants will not be processed as a mixture of all dust and sludge, been collected in filters of a steelworks. There is a need for precise recycling of different materials, depending on its special chemical composition. Therefore HAVER & BOECKER NIAGARA not only offers its well known SCARABAEUS 7500 with capacities up to 200 tph, even smaller discs, for capacities of 2 tph up to 50 tph are available.
A clear action plan will establish the market for green steel in the period 2021 to 2030. In plain word, the steel sector has to reduce EU steel production’s CO2 emissions by 30% by 2030 compared to 2018 emissions and by 80 to 95% by 2050.
HAVER ENGINEERING GmbH is working to develop improved processes for iron ore pellet producers by conducting feasibility studies and rolling-out new pelletizing technology, which can be used in modern hydrogen-based direct reduction plants. The SCARABEUS technology, developed by HAVER ENGINEERING GmbH, engineered and manufactured by HAVER & BOECKER NIAGARA is designed to create pellets that can be used to reduce CO2 emissions in the steel industry. Special reference should be made to its potential to compensate qualitative fluctuations of the natural resource iron ore and to transform it into a product of consistently high quality. The pelletizing disc can reach capacities up to 200 tph. Additionally, smaller discs are available for capacities ranging from 2 to 100 tph.
We strive to support our customers with a wide-range of services, ranging from steelworks to developing transportable, storable and ready-to-use agglomerates from steelworks remnants. While the steelworks remnants will not be processed offhandedly due to a mixture of all dust and sludge that has been collected in all filters of the steelworks, there is a need for precise recycling of the different materials or special mixtures, depending on their unique chemical composition.
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[1] The impact of the European steel industry on the EU economy. Oxford Economics, May 2018
[2] The European Steel Association – https://www.eurofer.eu.
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Florian Festge, Haver & Boecker Managing Partner
