New steelmaking processes: drivers,requirements and potential impact

Abstract

In the next 10–15 years, new technologies will be required to meet the environmental and economic concerns related to steelmaking. The current models for steel plants of a blast furnace plus oxygen steelmaking (OSM) and/or scrap based electric arc furnaces (EAFs) will, for many new plants, change to those using new technologies. The technological drivers and challenges for these processes will be examined together with their potential commercialisation and impact. Ironmaking is the major energy and resource consuming as well as CO₂ producing process. The blast furnace will remain the major ironmaking process, but potential improvements in state-of-the-art furnaces are limited so incremental improvements will be required. Other ironmaking processes such as HIsmelt, rotary hearth melting, and gaseous reduction will be developed or commercialised for specific conditions. The technical hurdles facing these processes and recent research will be discussed. In steelmaking, OSM and the high productivity EAF will remain the major processes. Incremental improvements in OSM, such as post-combustion and slag splashing, are examined. OSM will not change significantly in the near future but will remain a dominant process.