See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

net/publication/288322889

Greenhouse-gas (CO2) emissions in the steel industry

Article in Steel in Translation · September 2015

DOI: 10.3103/S0967091215090107

CITATIONS READS
16 291

4 authors, including:

Vladimir Georgievich Lisienko Anna V. Lapteva

Ural Federal University Ural Federal University
157 PUBLICATIONS 259 CITATIONS 29 PUBLICATIONS 114 CITATIONS

SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE

All content following this page was uploaded by Anna V. Lapteva on 12 July 2022.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

ISSN 09670912, Steel in Translation, 2015, Vol. 45, No. 9, pp. 623–626. © Allerton Press, Inc., 2015.
Original Russian Text © V.G. Lisienko, A.V. Lapteva, Yu.N. Chesnokov, V.V. Lugovkin, 2015, published in “Izvestiya VUZ. Chernaya Metallurgiya,” 2015, No. 9, pp. 625–629.

GreenhouseGas (CO2) Emissions in the Steel Industry

V. G. Lisienko, A. V. Lapteva, Yu. N. Chesnokov, and V. V. Lugovkin
Yeltsin Ural Federal University, Yekaterinburg, Russia
email: [email protected]
Received April 10, 2015

Abstract—The greenhouse gas CO2 is produced copiously in the steel industry. Three types of carbondioxide
emissions may be distinguished: emissions in the technological processes, emissions in transit, and the overall
emissions. The overall CO2 emissions characterize the sum of the process and transit emissions. A classifica
tion of processes in the iron and steel industry is proposed, in terms of the mechanism by which the CO2 is
formed. Five major sources are identified: furnaces, converters, openhearth furnaces, blast furnaces, and
coke batteries. The overall CO2 emissions are determined for six combinations of processes whose final prod
uct is steel.

Keywords: emissions, greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide, industrial processes, ferrous metallurgy, emissions
graph, overall emissions
DOI: 10.3103/S0967091215090107

The greenhouse gas CO2 is produced copiously in coke plants, in arc furnaces, and in openhearth fur
the steel industry: for example, in the combustion of naces, we must take account of the contribution of CO
organic fuel and in the decomposition of flux compo combustion to the total mass of carbon in the corre
nents. Methane, another greenhouse gas, is employed sponding fuels. In this context, all the mass of the car
as a secondary energy resource and produces carbon bon dioxide obtained from fuel combustion in the blast
dioxide on combustion. Thus, in the steel industry, the furnace, in the air heaters, and in the boilers of local
concept of carbon footprint reduces to the overall car power stations is assigned to the blast furnace—that is,
bondioxide emissions MC, which is the sum of the to hot metal. For this reason, the emissions MP, MT,
CO2 emissions in successive operations within the MC may be said to be integral.
technological chain, from fuel extraction to the final
product. The overall carbondioxide emissions of a The concept of integral emissions may be under
technological operation are calculated as the sum of stood in terms of material fluxes of secondary energy
the process CO2 emissions MP and the transit emis resources at a metallurgical enterprise (Fig. 1). At the
sions MT input, we consider coal, natural gas, and limestone. All
the secondary energy resources are used within the
MC = MP + MT. (1) enterprise. Hence, the integral carbondioxide emis
The transit emissions express the proportion of the sions are determined by the quantity of carbon sup
total CO2 emissions produced in previous processes. plied with the coal and natural gas, as well as the quan
tity of decomposing limestone in the sintering process.
Different quantities of CO2 will be produced in dif We adjust the configuration of secondaryresource
ferent systems. There has been extensive research on
fluxes on the assumption that they are all used in the
carbondioxide emissions [1–6]. However, there is
process itself—for example, through the local power
much to be gained from a comparison of steelmaking
station (Fig. 2). To eliminate double counting, the
processes in terms of CO2 emissions.
fluxes of secondary energy resources to the furnaces,
In practice, carbon dioxide is present in combus coke batteries, hotblast stoves, and other units are
tion products along with carbon monoxide. For exam removed from the flow diagram. In Fig. 2, the integral
ple, blastfurnace gas contains 25–27% CO and 16– carbondioxide emissions for a particular unit are
23% CO2, depending on the oxygen content in the i i
blast. Some of the CO is used in the blastfurnace pro denoted by CO 2 . The sum of the components CO 2
cesses: it is oxidized to CO2 in the air heaters. How with i = 1–6 represents the integral emissions of the
ever, most is burned in the boilers of local power sta enterprise—that is, the sum of the emissions of the
tions, providing up to 90% of the power consumed at units in Fig. 1. In that case, the integral process emis
metallurgical enterprises. In the simplest case, CO is sions MP may be determined from the quantity of
burned in flares or in special devices. Thus, in deter completely burned carbon in the process, under the
mining the mass of CO2 formed in blast furnaces, at assumption that all the secondary energy resources are

623
624 LISIENKO et al.

Integral carbondioxide emissions at the enterprise

Sintering machine Coke Local power

battery station

2
1
Blast Arc furnace
Hotblast with combustion
furnace
stove system
Converter
with combustion Heating furnaces
system

Limestone Coal Natural gas

Fig. 1. Formation of the integral carbondioxide emissions at a metallurgical enterprise: (1) blastfurnace gas; (2) cokeoven gas.

Integral carbondioxide emissions at the enterprise

1 2 3 4 5 6
CO 2 CO 2 CO 2 CO 2 CO 2 CO 2

Sintering Converter Arc furnace

Coke
machine battery with combustion with combustion
system system

Blast furnace Heating

with hotblast furnaces
stoves and other
energy consumers

Limestone Coal Natural gas

Fig. 2. Formation of the integral carbondioxide emissions at a metallurgical enterprise on the assumption that the secondary
energy resources are all used in the process itself.

consumed directly or indirectly in the process. This In this approach, we may identify five types of met
approach permits more precise estimation of the car allurgical processes in terms of the mechanism by
bondioxide emissions and simplifies the comparison which the CO2 is formed.
of different operations in terms of the carbondioxide Type 1. Processes in which fuel is burned. Such
emissions. To eliminate double counting, the use of processes occur in sintering machines, roasting fur
secondary resources generated in these processes is naces for ironore pellets, heating furnaces in the roll
disregarded. ing lines, heat treatment, and steam generators at

STEEL IN TRANSLATION Vol. 45 No. 9 2015

 GREENHOUSEGAS (CO2) EMISSIONS IN THE STEEL INDUSTRY 625

Ore extraction, Coal extraction

transportation, and transportation
and preparation (26, 9)
(109, 2)
1, 4
Coking Cokeoven gas
0, 90 (392/429, 7)
1, 1 Blast
(0) Oxygen
Sintering Pulverized Local power
(0)
(319/417) coal station
(30)
1, 3
Water
0, 323 0, 13 1400
100 (0)
Pelletization 1, 0
(55/197) Blast furnace 36
0, 6 (1320/2036) Blastfurnace gas

61
Water Gas extraction
Lime Scrap (0, 5) and transportation
(786) (20) (0, 234)

1 0, 88
0, 22
0.087 Oxygen
Converter (0.43)
(144/2035) 60

Steel

Fig. 3. Graph of carbondioxide emissions for a blast furnace with naturalgas and pulverizedcoal injection.

power stations. The CO2 emissions calculated for such Type 5. Processes in which volatile fractions of the
processes are summed with the CO2 emissions corre fuel evaporate and are then consumed in the pro
sponding to the combustion of carbon. cesses. That is the case in coking. In coking, fuel is
Type 2. Processes in which carbon is burned from burned to heat the coke batteries. The fuel consists of
the batch metal, but no fuel is used. These processes blastfurnace gas, cokeoven gas, or a mixture of the
are seen in all kinds of converters, including oxygen two. The carbon dioxide formed is calculated in accor
converters, with the combustion of carbon monoxide dance with the relevant process. The carbon liberated
in a converter or a flare. in the volatile components is burned by means of the
Type 3. Processes in which carbon is burned from cokeoven gas. Any excess cokeoven gas is burned in
the metal in the batch and fuel is consumed. Such pro the cokebattery flares or in the boilers of the local
cesses are seen in openhearth furnaces. power stations. Thus, all the carbon obtained in the
volatiles forms carbon dioxide. If natural gas is used to
Type 4. Processes in which fuel is burned and some heat the coke batteries, the process will be of a differ
of the carbon passes to the final product. Such pro ent type, which is not considered here on account of
cesses are seen in the blast furnace. They are also seen its ineffectiveness.
in cokefree systems (HyL3, Midrex, COREX,
ROMELT). The blastfurnace gas contains a consid For each type of process, we find a formula for the
erable quantity of carbon monoxide and is used as a integral carbondioxide emissions [7].
fuel for the blast furnace’s air heaters. However, much The overall integral carbondioxide emissions of a
of the blastfurnace gas is not employed in the air technological operation may be determined on the
heater. Rather, it is used to generate electric power, basis of an emissions graph (Fig. 3). Each point of the
which is consumed in oxygen generation, water cool oriented graph corresponds to a process or resource
ing, and the air blast. [8]. Values of the emissions are given in parentheses

STEEL IN TRANSLATION Vol. 45 No. 9 2015

626 LISIENKO et al.

CO2 emissions for steel production by different processes This carbon will generate 1320 t CO2 or 667.7 m3/t
of hot metal. This is the total mass of carbon dioxide
Emissions per 1 t produced in the blastfurnace process itself and in pro
of product Environmen
Process* cesses involving blastfurnace gas as a secondary
tal ranking
overall, kg bulk, m3 energy resource.
HyL3 + AF 1125 569 1 We may calculate the overall CO2 emissions by
summation. For example, for the blast furnace
Midrex + AF 1224 619 2
MC = 1320 + 197 × 0.6 + 417 × 1.0 + 429.7 × 0.323
BF + AF 1365 690 3
+ 30 × 0.13 + 0.234 × 61 = 2036 kg/t of hot metal.
ROMELT + AF 2004 1015 4
The proposed approach permits comparison of
COREX + AF 2018 1021 5
combinations of processes in ferrous metallurgy that
BF + converter 2120 1072 6 culminate in steel production, as we see in the table.
* AF, arc furnace; BF, blast furnace without pulverizedcoal
injection.
CONCLUSIONS
(1) The greenhouse gas CO2 is produced copiously
(overall emissions if a single number is given; other in the steel industry. Three types of carbondioxide
wise, process/overall emissions). Each arrow is labeled emissions may be distinguished: emissions in the tech
with a number (a weight) corresponding to the con nological processes, emissions in transit, and the over
sumption of a particular resource. To eliminate double all emissions.
counting of any carbondioxide emissions, the emis (2) A classification of processes in the iron and steel
sions from power generation are eliminated (setting a industry has been proposed, in terms of the mecha
zero in the parentheses in Fig. 3) in calculating the nism by which the CO2 is formed.
emissions for a blast furnace (for example, the emis (3) The overall CO2 emissions have been deter
sions in oxygen generation or providing the blast). mined for six combinations of processes whose final
We may write the following general formula for the product is steel.
overall emissions at a particular point in Fig. 3
REFERENCES
L
⎛ N
⎞ M ⎛ P
⎞
M Cik = M Pik +∑ ∑
⎜ G ik P jk⎟ + ∑ ∑
⎜ M Pil P jl⎟ .
⎝ j = 1 ⎠ l = 1⎝ ⎠
1. Potapochkin, A.N., Simonyan, L.M., Chernousov, P.I.,
and Kosyrev, K.L., Consumption of carbon and CO2
i=1 j=1 emissions in the steel industry: Estimates, Stal’, 2004,
no. 9, pp. 69–72.
Here L is the number of sources (points in the emis 2. Shevelev, L.N., Quantitative assessment the green
sions graph with only outward arrows); N is the num housegas emissions in the Russian steel industry, Stal’,
ber of paths from the source to the point being ana 2007, no. 4, pp. 97–102.
lyzed; Pjk is the transfer on the corresponding path 3. Shevelev, L.N., Assessing the greenhousegas emissions
(the product of the weights of the arcs, such as in the Russian steel industry, Chern. Metall.: Byul. Inst.
Ψ11Ψ31Ψ51Ψ71); M is the number of points corre Chermetinformatsiya, 2008, no. 8, pp. 3–8.
sponding to processes with nonzero emissions; P is the 4. Kalenskii, I.V., Recommendations in assessing green
number of paths from such points to the point being housegas emissions at steel plants, Stal’, 2007, no. 5,
analyzed. The paths will be different length. pp. 121–129.
5. Kazakov, R.A., Zvolinskii, V.P., and Chernousov, P.I.,
The subscripts employed are as follows: i corre Improved approaches to assessing the greenhousegas
sponds to the number of the operation in the techno emissions in the steel industry, Metallurg, 2011, no. 12,
logical chain; k to the CO2 emissions from source k in pp. 27–31.
operation i; l to the number of a point in operation i 6. Kazakov, R.A., Improving the Energy Efficiency and
with nonzero emissions. GreenhouseGas Emissions at Steel Plants, Extended
As an example, we assess the integral emissions MP Abstract of Cand. Sci. Dissertation, Moscow, 2013.
of a blast furnace in the combustion of coke at a rate of 7. Chesnokov, Yu.P., Lisienko, V.G., and Lapteva, A.V.,
0.323 t/t of hot metal (or 0.275 t of carbon), natural Models of indirect CO2 emissions in some metallurgi
cal processes, Stal’, 2011, no. 8, pp. 74–77.
gas at a rate of 61 m3/t of hot metal (or 0.033 t of car
bon), and pulverized coal at a rate of 0.13 t/t of hot 8. Chesnokov, Yu.P., Lisienko, V.G., and Lapteva, A.V.,
Graphs of carbondioxide emissions for metallurgical
metal (or 0.093 t of carbon), in terms of the total mass enterprises, Metallurg, 2012, no. 12, pp. 23–26.
of oxidized carbon
0.275 + 0.033 + 0.093 – 0.04 = 0.36 t/t of hot metal. Translated by Bernard Gilbert

STEEL IN TRANSLATION Vol. 45 No. 9 2015

View publication stats