7TH EUROPEAN COKE AND IRONMAKING CONGRESS - ECIC 2016

The steel industry contributes to the global emissions of fossil carbon dioxide (CO2) by around seven percent, mainly caused by the usage of coal and coke as reductants in the blast furnace (BF). In the same time the BF is, and will be in a foreseeable future, the most energy efficient method to produce ore based liquid hot metal. A number of concepts to minimise the emission of CO2 have been proposed by different R&D teams, as the ULCOS TGRBF (top gas recycling BF), or high injection of hydrogen (H2) in combination with CCS (Carbon Capture and Storage). Other options investigated, not requiring extensive modification of the BF plants, are the use of bio based reductants, charging of activated coke or carbon composite agglomerates including such involving biomass products. In this paper these latter are analysed relative the BF conditions, including impact on slag formation, temperature and gas profiles etc. Moreover the possible impact on energy consumption and CO2 emission is compared. The analyses are based on research results deduced from laboratory tests and trials in the LKAB Experimental BF (EBF).