Profitable retrofit system could slash steel making emissions by 94%

A rare decarbonization idea that looks as good for business as it does for the planet. This system promises to radically reduce carbon dioxide emissions for 70% of steelmakers, while generating profits and making use of existing blast furnaces.

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In a nutshell, it replaces about 90% of the coke used in the blast furnace with direct carbon monoxide injection. The carbon monoxide comes from a system that captures and recycles the furnace’s own exhaust “top gas,” separating out carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, hydrogen and nitrogen gases at high temperatures. These gases are then sent through a twin-reactor redox system that keeps the carbon inside a closed loop.

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I was about to call shenanigans on this, but that would be wrong. I’ll only call shenanigans on the 94% emission reduction because yes, there would be a very significant reduction in steelmaking emissions and reduction in coke usage.

> In a nutshell, it replaces about 90% of the coke used in the blast furnace with direct carbon monoxide injection. The carbon monoxide comes from a system that captures and recycles the furnace’s own exhaust “top gas,” separating out carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, hydrogen and nitrogen gases at high temperatures. These gases are then sent through a twin-reactor redox system that keeps the carbon inside a closed loop.

That is exactly what steel companies would do. Most of my job at the Wollongong steelworks was retrofitting a turbine into the furnace’s own exhaust “top gas” system to recover extra electrical energy to reduce energy requirements for steelmaking. A smaller part of my job at the steelworks was separating gases, nitrogen from oxygen in the air.

mollwollfumble said:

I was about to call shenanigans on this, but that would be wrong. I’ll only call shenanigans on the 94% emission reduction because yes, there would be a very significant reduction in steelmaking emissions and reduction in coke usage.

> In a nutshell, it replaces about 90% of the coke used in the blast furnace with direct carbon monoxide injection. The carbon monoxide comes from a system that captures and recycles the furnace’s own exhaust “top gas,” separating out carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, hydrogen and nitrogen gases at high temperatures. These gases are then sent through a twin-reactor redox system that keeps the carbon inside a closed loop.

That is exactly what steel companies would do. Most of my job at the Wollongong steelworks was retrofitting a turbine into the furnace’s own exhaust “top gas” system to recover extra electrical energy to reduce energy requirements for steelmaking. A smaller part of my job at the steelworks was separating gases, nitrogen from oxygen in the air.

When were you working at the Wollongong steelworks? My uncle worked there for ages. I can’t remember precisely what he did there, but he had a mathematics degree. Frank V.

Make everything out of titanium or aluminium