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11. Co-Product Methodology
CO and CO2 are produced (and some CH4) during the combustion of coal and coke in the
blast furnace which are used for energy purposes (producing hot metal, slag and gases).
Allocation of these emissions to air is therefore to both the hot metal and the slag, based on
the energy function (fEHM and fES(BF)).
Energy sources e.g. natural gas, coal, coke: these are used in the operation of the process
and therefore associated with both the hot metal and the slag and thus allocated in this
manner, based on the energy function (fEHM and fES(BF)). The allocation for blast furnace
gas by energy later determines the burden of process gas combustion as well as the credit
due to the avoided production of electricity, which are allocated between the slag and the hot
metal.
Fluorspar – is added to control the slag efficiency and is therefore allocated totally to the
slag.
Hydrogen sulphide, H2S, is allocated to both the hot metal and the slag by the energy
function (fEHM and fES(BF)) as, although the emissions of the H2S mainly occur during
quenching of the slag at the slag pouring tap, this has no more link (metallurgically) to the
slag than to the hot metal.
Iron ore, sinter, pellets, sinter fines and direct reduced iron – allocations between the
slag and hot metal of these flows are calculated based on the proportion of gangue and iron
that is present in the material. Gangue content is defined as the non-iron content of the
material and is determined by calculating the iron/ferrous content in the material – the
proportion of the material that is iron is therefore allocated to the hot metal. The gangue
content in the iron ore is calculated based on the iron content using the formula: [gangue = 1
– (1.43 * iron content)], where the 1.43 relates to the proportion of iron ore (which is a mix of
haematite, Fe2O3, and gangue) that is iron. Where no site specific data is available, default
values are used instead. The gangue forms the slag product and therefore the proportion of
gangue content is allocated to the slag.
The benefits of having gangue present in the sinter product is that it produces a material that
can be inserted into the blast furnace due to its hardness and using such products produces a
good quality slag that can beneficially be used by industries such as the cement industry.
Default Gangue
content %
Sinter (fines) 17.9
Pellets 5.6
Iron ore 11.4
DRI 4.0
Table 1: Default gangue content values
Iron Scrap inputs are added for iron content and are therefore totally allocated to the hot
metal.
Limestone (CaCO3) is added to the blast furnace and has many functions within the steel
making process. It is used to remove the gangue from the iron ore, in order to clean it, and
also to aid with the slag formation. It enables the slag to reach a specific basicity and the
liquidus temperature required, with correct calcium levels, and therefore enables it to be
decanted, and to create a granulated slag. The limestone is allocated between the hot metal
and the slag, on the basis of the energy function (fEHM and fES(BF)), which results in the hot
metal taking most of the burden for the limestone.
This is also the reason why the dolomite (CaCO3.MgCO3), bauxite and olivine are allocated
between the metal and the slag by the energy function (fEHM and fES(BF)).
Metallic additions (e.g. Manganese) – these are added in order to achieve the correct steel
grade and therefore allocated to the hot metal.
38 The European Steel Industry’s Contribution to an Integrated Product Policy – Final Report