Linz, Austria:

Berger H., Dr. Eng., Independent Reviewer, e-mail: bergerha@aon.at

Abstract: The actual problems to be solved by the iron and steel industry at present time are formulated. They include, among other, reducing of CO₂ emissions during steel production and elimination of excessive production facilities, and divergence from the most usable technological route “blast furnace — basic oxygen converter” relating with high level of carbon dioxide emissions is required as the first measure in this direction. It is recommended to choose the route that partly uses hydrogen or natural gas as reducing agent, as well as the processes of direct iron reduction or manufacture of hot-briquetted iron. Advantages of the last route can be observed owing to hot charge of DRI/HBI in electric arc furnace. The second stage of this process is presented by multi-electrode electric arc furnace with inclined electrodes; this new electrometallurgical process provides high productivity, low power consumption and improvement of ecological parameters. Correlation of solving the problem of CO₂ emission and excessive steel supply in the markets with closure of some production sites together with investments in the new steelmaking technologies is displayed.

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