Steel and iron production is one of the biggest industrial energy consumers in world. It is a major contributor of greenhouse gas emissions. The steel and iron industry is therefore a key target for decarbonisation.
In India the iron and Steel sector accounts for 36% of manufacturing's GHG emission. The single biggest source of GHG emissions in this sector is calcined petroleum coke (petcoke).
Coke, or the solid byproduct of the oil-refining process, is a byproduct that is left after the distillation. It is primarily carbon with traces of hydrogen, nitrous oxide, metal elements, and other impurities. Coke is a fuel that can be used in the blast-furnace or as a material to make slag. The most important application for petcoke in iron and steel making is to provide the heat required to convert iron oxide into metallic iron. The heat generated from the combustion of petroleum coke can melt the majority of non-metallic elements found in iron ore, resulting in slag.
Leaching with caustic soap can remove the slag that is formed by the reaction of iron and sulphur with alumina. This is an extremely energy-intensive method, which consumes approximately 280kg of coke per tonne of liquid produced iron. The use of calcined koke reduces energy consumption in the iron-and-steel industry and reduces slag production.
A large portion of calcined petroleum coke is used as raw material for producing carbon anodes in the aluminum production process. It is also used as a raw material for making recarburizers, an essential element in the production of high quality steel.
Approximately 70 per cent of the coal used in iron and steel making is petroleum coke. This is because petroleum coke can be burned at lower temperature than other coals, and therefore produces more reducing gases during the iron reduction. This, in turn increases the efficiency of the steelmaking processes.
The coke is then melted in a blast furnace to provide heat for the conversion of the iron ore. The molten steel or iron is then poured out into slabs. A large percentage of this molten steel is used to manufacture automobiles, ships and airplanes. The rest is used to manufacture building materials, machinery and other equipment.
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