Steel Industry Needs Tech-Tonic Shift To Touch Optimum Efficiency
Steel Insights|August 2019

Steelmaking is a primal industry that requires huge amounts of heat and energy. As such, it isn’t the first sector that springs to mind when it comes to energy efficiency and sustainability.

Tamajit Pain & Sumit Maitra
Steel Industry Needs Tech-Tonic Shift To Touch Optimum Efficiency

Nevertheless, the industry is taking steps to improve its eco-credentials, employing a range of innovative technologies to reduce the environmental impact of steel production.

One example of this is the use of Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) turbines at the Ori Martin steel plant in Brescia in northern Italy, which produces hot-rolled steel for the mechanical and automotive industries.

During summer operations, the ORC system generates enough energy from waste heat to meet the electricity consumption needs of 700 local families. In winter, the waste heat is used to heat up 2,000 households through the local district heating network.

This reduces the factory’s carbon footprint by 10,000 tons of CO2 a year, as well as eliminating the need for water-cooling.

The heat recovery system, which have been installed by a third party, and the ORC turbine, which have been installed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Group company Turboden, capture the exhaust gases and turn them into electrical energy and thermal power.

They are based on the conventional steam turbine systems found in power plants. Instead of generating steam from water, however, the ORC system vaporizes an organic fluid. This not only removes the need for water, it also enables the turbines to run at lower speeds and pressures – using less energy – while minimizing metal erosion. It’s a lowcost system requiring limited maintenance, which doesn’t need a qualified operator as it runs automatically.

Circular economy Recycling is another way in which the steel industry can contribute to a cleaner and more sustainable future.

Steel in itself is 100 percent recyclable. It can be used repeatedly without loss of integrity. The industry has long been taking advantage of this by using scrap steel as an additional element in the steel making process, forming a circular loop where nothing is wasted.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة August 2019 من Steel Insights.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة August 2019 من Steel Insights.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

المزيد من القصص من STEEL INSIGHTS مشاهدة الكل
Steel's Net Zero mission
Steel Insights

Steel's Net Zero mission

The country’s commitment to achieving Net Zero within a targeted timeframe will now propel its steel sector towards a sustainable future in line with global trends.

time-read
10+ mins  |
November 2021
Fuel Price Hike, Supply Chain Disruption Hurt Festive Sales
Steel Insights

Fuel Price Hike, Supply Chain Disruption Hurt Festive Sales

Supply chain disruptions and fuel price hikes have hurt festive sales in a big way as most auto majors posted decline in sales in October.

time-read
5 mins  |
November 2021
Seaborne coking coal offers remain range-bound
Steel Insights

Seaborne coking coal offers remain range-bound

Seaborne coking coal offers moved in a narrow range in October amid global supply tightness and healthy spot demand.

time-read
3 mins  |
November 2021
Global crude steel output down 8% in September
Steel Insights

Global crude steel output down 8% in September

China manufactured 74 mt in September, fall of 21% y-o-y while India’s production went up by 7% to 10 mt.

time-read
1 min  |
November 2021
MOIL embarks on expansion projects
Steel Insights

MOIL embarks on expansion projects

“Even though our country is blessed with manganese ore reserves, we import 50% of the domestic requirement. We have to lower our import dependence and save precious foreign exchange.” Ram Chandra Prasad Singh, Steel Minister

time-read
5 mins  |
November 2021
Iron ore handled by major ports down 17% in H1
Steel Insights

Iron ore handled by major ports down 17% in H1

The 12 major Indian ports handled 27 mt of iron-ore during H1 of 2021, down by 17% from 33 mt recorded for the corresponding period of previous year.

time-read
1 min  |
November 2021
Shrinking China output to boost India exports
Steel Insights

Shrinking China output to boost India exports

“In the third quarter of 2021, the company actively responded to the pressure from external policies, such as production curtailment and dual control system on energy consumption and intensity, as well as coal resource shortage and surging prices.” Baoshan Iron and Steel Co Ltd

time-read
4 mins  |
November 2021
Indian Railways' iron-ore handling up 25% in H1
Steel Insights

Indian Railways' iron-ore handling up 25% in H1

Indian Railways in April-September of 2021 (H1) transported 84 mt of iron ore, up by 25% over 67 mt during April-September 2020.

time-read
1 min  |
November 2021
September crude steel production up 7.2% y-o-y
Steel Insights

September crude steel production up 7.2% y-o-y

India’s crude steel production in September 2021 grew 7.2 percent to 9.547 million tons (mt) over September 2020 but was down by 3.2 percent from August 2021 output, provisional steel ministry data showed.

time-read
2 mins  |
November 2021
“Five enablers: way forward to sustainable cleaner steel”
Steel Insights

“Five enablers: way forward to sustainable cleaner steel”

Right and scalable technology, appropriate policy guidance by government, access to finance to fund transition, willingness of customers to pay for cleaner products and infrastructure for use of new technologies are the need of the hour for the sustainable and cleaner steel industry, according to Madhulika Sharma, Chief Corporate Sustainability, Tata Steel.

time-read
10+ mins  |
November 2021