Solid Waste management from Steel Melting Shop

- Production of steel in steel Industry is accomplice for the generation of solid waste materials like sludge, slag, dust etc. In recent days most part of wastes are generated from steelmaking process which is a focus point now-a-days. The solid waste generation, presently in Indian steel industry is in the range of 400 - 500 kg/t of crude steel and recycling rate varies between 40 - 70 % which lead to higher production costs, lower productivity and further environmental degradation. It is very essential not only for recycling of the waste valuable metals and mineral resources but also to protect the environment. I Solid waste management in steel industry is broadly classified in “4 R” i.e. reduce, reuse, recycle and restore the materials. The aim of the paper is to explore the various developments for total recycling of solid waste generated from steel industry, so that the vision for making “clean & green steel with zero waste” can be achieved for survival and growth of steel business in future. Keywords—Steel, Reuse, recycle, solid waste, sustainable development

Comprehensive Utilization of Iron-Bearing Converter Wastes

Basic oxygen furnace (BOF) sludge is composed of not only valuable iron but also impurities like Zn, Pb, and some alkaline oxides. It is collected from wet cleaning system in steelmaking plants. How to deal with these double identity wastes? Will the traditional landfill treatments result in environmental pollution? What technologies have been developed recently, and is it actually useful? In this chapter, physical-chemical properties and mineralogical phases of converter sludge were characterized, and different recycling technologies were introduced. The proven metalized pellet-producing process would be highlighted that green pellets made from iron-bearing sludge are dried and preheated in a traveling grate firstly, and then reduced at high temperature in a rotary kiln or a rotary hearth furnace (RHF) to get direct reduced iron (DRI), served as a good iron source for blast furnace

Life Cycle Impact of Different Joining Decisions on Vehicle Recycling

Stricter vehicle emission legislation has driven significant reduction in environmental impact of the vehicle use phase through increasing use of lightweight materials and multi-material concepts to reduce the vehicle mass. The joining techniques used for joining multi-material designs has led to reduction in efficiency of the current shredder-based recycling practices. This thesis quantifies this reduction in efficiency using data captured from industrial recycling trials. Life Cycle Assessment has been widely used to assess the environmental impact throughout the vehicle life cycle stages. Although there is significant research on material selection or substitution to improve the vehicle’s carbon footprint, the correlation between multi-material vehicle designs and the material separation through commonly used shredding process is not well captured in the current analysis. This thesis addresses this gap using data captured from industrial trials to measure the influence of different joining techniques on material recycling efficiencies. The effects of material degradation due to joining choices are examined using the life cycle analysis including exergy losses to account for a closed-loop system. The System Dynamics approach is then performed to demonstrate the dynamic life cycle impact of joining choices used for new multi-material vehicle designs. Observations from the case studies conducted in Australia and Europe showed that mechanical fasteners, particularly machine screws, are increasingly used to join different material types and are less likely to be perfectly liberated during the shredding process. The characteristics of joints, such as joint strength, material type, size, diameter, location, temperature resistance, protrusion level, and surface smoothness, have an influence on the material liberation in the current sorting practices. Additionally, the liberation of joints is also affected by the density and thickness of materials being joined. The life cycle analysis including exergy losses shows a significant environmental burden caused by the amount of impurities and valuable material losses due to unliberated joints. By measuring the influence of joints quantitatively, this work has looked at the potential of improving the quality of materials recycled from ELV to be reused in a closed-loop system. The dynamic behaviours between the joining choices and their delayed influence on material recycling efficiencies from the life cycle perspective are performed using the data from case studies. It shows that the short-term reduction in environmental impact through multi-material structures is offset over the long-term by the increasing impurities and valuable material losses due to unliberated joints. The different vehicle recycling systems can then be resembled using two widely known system archetypes: “Fixes that Fail” and “Shifting the Burden”. Despite the adoption of more rigorous recycling approaches, the life cycle impact of different joining techniques on vehicle recycling continue to exist. The enactment of strict regulations in current ELV recycling systems is unable to solve the underlying ELV waste problem, and only prolongs the delay in material degradation due to joining choices. This work shows that the choice of joining techniques used for multi-material vehicle designs has a significant impact on the environmental performance during the ELV recycling phase

Best Available Techniques (BAT) Reference Document:for:Iron and Steel Production:Industrial Emissions Directive 2010/75/EU:(Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control)

The BREF entitled ‘Iron and Steel Production’ forms part of a series presenting the results of an exchange of information between EU Member States, the industries concerned, non-governmental organisations promoting environmental protection and the Commission, to draw up, review, and where necessary, update BAT reference documents as required by Article 13(1) of the Directive. This document is published by the European Commission pursuant to Article 13(6) of the Directive. This BREF for the iron and steel production industry covers the following specified in Annex I to Directive 2010/75/EU, namely: • activity 1.3: coke production • activity 2.1: metal ore (including sulphide ore) roasting and sintering • activity 2.2: production of pig iron or steel (primary or secondary fusion) including continuous casting, with a capacity exceeding 2.5 tonnes per hour. The document also covers some activities that may be directly associated to these activities on the same site. Important issues for the implementation of Directive 2010/75/EU in the production of iron and steel are the reduction of emissions to air; efficient energy and raw material usage; minimisation, recovery and the recycling of process residues; as well as effective environmental and energy management systems. The BREF document contains 13 chapters. Chapter 1 provides general information on the iron and steel sector. Chapter 2 provides information and data on general industrial processes used within this sector. Chapters 3 to 8 provide information on particular iron and steel processes (sinter plants, pelletisation, coke ovens, blast furnaces, basic oxygen steelmaking and casting, electric arc steelmaking and casting). In Chapter 9 the BAT conclusions, as defined in Article 3(12) of the Directive, are presented for the sectors described in Chapters 2 to 8.JRC.J.5-Sustainable Production and Consumptio

A Review of Technology of Metal Recovery from Electronic Waste

Electronic waste, or e-waste, is an emerging problem with developed nations as with developing nations. In the absence of proper collection and disposal systems, awareness, and proper regulations, the problem is rather more acute in developing nations. These wastes are environmentally hazardous on one hand and valuable on the other. They contain substantial amount of metal value, including precious metals. Personal computers are the biggest contributors to e-waste, followed closely by televisions and mobile phones. The growth in their consumption pattern indicates a manifold increase in the volume of e-waste and calls for immediate attention to the management of e-waste in general and their recycling and reuse in particular

Optimising the geospatial configuration of a future lithium ion battery recycling industry in the transition to electric vehicles and a circular economy

Rapid electrification of the transport system will generate substantial volumes of Lithium-ion-battery (LiB) waste as batteries reach their end-of-life. Much attention focuses on the recycling processes, neglecting a broader systemic view that considers the concentration of the costs and impacts associated with logistics and transportation. This paper provides an economic, environmental and geospatial analysis of a future LiB recycling industry in the UK. Hitherto, state-of-the-art assessment methods have evaluated life cycle impacts and costs but have not considered the geographical layer of the problem. This paper develops a GSC derived supply chain model for the UK electric vehicle and end-of-life vehicle battery industry. Considering both pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical recycling technologies, the optimisation process takes into account anticipated EV volumes, and, based on anticipated near-term technological evolution of LiBs, the evolution of the mix of battery cathodes in production, and presents a number of scenarios to show where LiB recycling facilities should ideally be geographically located. An economic and environmental assessment based on a customised EverBatt model is provided

Evaluating energy and resource efficiency for recovery of metallurgical residues using environmental and economic analysis

peer reviewedEnergy and resource efficiency are today key elements for the metallurgical industry in the context of the new European Green Deal. Although the currently available technologies have recently led to an optimisation of energy and materials use, the decarbonisation targets may not be met without the development of new and innovative technologies and strategies. In this context, the goal of the H2020 project CIRMET (Innovative and efficient solution, based on modular, versatile, and smart process units for energy and resource flexibility in highly energy-intensive processes) is to develop and validate an innovative and flexible circular solution for energy and resource efficiency in a metallurgical plant. The circular model proposed is composed of three units: (1) a metallurgical furnace for the recovery of valuable metals from industrial metallic wastes, (2) a unit for heat recovery from the furnace's exhaust gases, and (3) a digital platform for the optimisation of the whole process. Also, the circular model investigates the possibilities of substituting the metallurgical coke used in the furnace with biobased material (BIOCHAR). This study presents an environmental and economic assessment of the circular model, based on a real pilot testing campaign in which residues from non-ferrous metals production are treated for the recovery of metals, mechanical energy from waste heat, and inert fraction. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Life Cycle Costing (LCC) are used to assess the environmental and economic performances of the circular model. The results of the LCA and the LCC highlight the main environmental and economic hot spots of the proposed technologies. The environmental analysis showed the environmental positive effects of recovering secondary metals and energy. However, for some environmental impact categories (e.g. climate change), the benefits are balanced out by the high electricity and natural gas demand in the metallurgical furnace. In this regard, the substitution of metallurgical coke with BIOCHAR can significantly lower the environmental impacts of the whole process. The economic analysis showed the potential economic profitability of the whole process, depending mostly on the quantity and marketability of the recovered metals. For both environmental and economic analysis, the electricity demand in the metallurgical furnace represents the main barrier that can hinder the viability of the process. Therefore, looking for alternative energy sources (e.g. waste heat from other industries) is identified as the most effective strategy to push the sustainability of the whole process. As the proposed technology is under development, these preliminary results can provide useful insights and contribute to the environmental and economic optimisation of the technology

ERA-MIN Research Agenda

European Research Area - Network on the Industrial Handling of Raw Materials for European Industriesroadmap of the "ERA-MIN" eranetNon-energy and non-agricultural raw materials underpin the global economy and our quality of life. They are vital for the EU's economy and for the development of environmentally friendly technologies essential to European industries. However, the EU is highly dependent on imports, and securing supplies has therefore become crucial. A sustainable supply of mineral products and metals for European industry requires a more efficient and rational consumption, enhanced substitution and improved recycling. Recycling from scrap to raw materials has been rapidly gaining in quantity and efficiency over the last years. However, continuous re-use cannot provide alone the necessary quantities of mineral raw materials, due to i) recycling losses, ii) the worldwide growing demand in raw materials, and iii) the need of "new" elements for the industry. To fully meet future needs, metals and mineral products from primary sources will still be needed in the future. Most of them will continue to be imported from sources outside Europe; but others can, and should, be produced domestically. Advanced research and innovation are required to improve the capacity of existing technologies to discover new deposits, to improve the efficiency of the entire geomaterials life cycle from mineral extraction to the use as secondary resource of products at the end of their industrial life, and to reduce the environmental footprint of raw materials extraction and use. Research and innovation must be made to acquire knowledge as well, and to improve our basic understanding of all engineering and natural processes involved in the raw materials life cycle, as well as the coupling of these processes. Finally, research has to go beyond the present-day economic and technological constraints, and it should be closely associated with training and education in order to maintain existing skills and to share the most recent developments with the industrial sector. A long-term vision of research is necessary in order to have the capacity of evaluating the environmental and societal impacts of present and developing industrial activities and to imagine tomorrow's breakthrough concepts and technologies that will create new industrial opportunities. These objectives require the input of contrasted scientific and technical skills and competences (earth science, material science and technology, chemistry, physics, engineer, biology, engineering, environmental science, economy, social and human sciences, etc). An important challenge is to gather all these domains of expertise towards the same objective. The ERA-MIN Research Agenda aims at listing the most important topics of research and innovation that will contribute to i) secure the sustainable supply and management of non-energy and non-agricultural raw materials, and ii) offer opportunities of investment and employment opportunities in the EU

Exergy Cost Assessment in Global Mining

El desarrollo económico, social y tecnológico de la sociedad actual está fuertemente ligado a la extracción de recursos minerales. Una sociedad en constante crecimiento que consume estos recursos rápida e ilimitadamente. El continuo incremento de la demanda mundial de recursos minerales se debe en gran medida al crecimiento económico de China y otros países asiáticos, que demandan una gran cantidad de materias primas en los sectores de la construcción, la infraestructura y la manufactura. El agotamiento de los recursos naturales no renovables es la consecuencia de este progreso y constituye el mayor reto al que se enfrentará la industria minera. De ahí que la disponibilidad futura de los recursos minerales está adquiriendo importancia en los planes estratégicos de los gobiernos. Una vez que los minerales han sido extraídos, una serie de procesos que consumen grandes cantidades de energía son necesarios para producir materias primas utilizables. El requerimiento energético de la extracción de minerales y en su posterior procesamiento depende principalmente de la calidad y composición del mineral. Considerando la disminución en la ley mineral a nivel global, los consumos energéticos y los impactos ambientales se han venido incrementando continuamente. Adicionalmente, es necesario procesar más material para obtener una cantidad equivalente de metal. En este sentido, uno de los factores críticos que la industria minera tendrá que afrontar será la disponibilidad de energía para la extracción y el procesamiento de los minerales. Por lo anterior, es de suma importancia analizar y entender los procesos de la industria minera para determinar las posibles mejoras cuando se tiene en cuenta el factor de escasez de las materias primas. La primera actividad puede realizarse a través de un enfoque termoeconómico. La Termoeconomía ha sido utilizada tradicionalmente para la optimización de plantas termoeléctricas haciendo uso de la exergía como unidad de medida. En esta tesis doctoral, el análisis termoeconómico es adaptado y modificado, teniendo en cuenta la complejidad de los procesos mineros y metalúrgicos, en los cuales se presentan flujos de materias primas y energía. Cuando se considera el factor de escasez de los recursos minerales en este tipo de análisis, es necesario incluir una variable adicional. Esto se lleva a cabo a través del enfoque Exergoecológico propuesto por Valero et al. (2003). Conceptualmente, el metódo Exergoecológico permite realizar una evaluación de los recursos minerales utilizando los costos exergéticos de reposición, los cuales representan la exergía requerida para restituir los minerales que han sido totalmente dispersados en la corteza terrestre una vez que su vida útil ha terminado, al estado inicial de composición y concentración en el que se encuentran en las minas. De ahí que esta tesis tiene como objetivo principal adaptar y aplicar metodologías termoeconómicas que permitan realizar un Análisis de Ciclo de Vida absoluto de los recursos minerales: un análisis convencional de la “cuna” a la puerta de entrada (producción de las materias primas refinadas) y un análisis adicional de la “tumba” a la “cuna”, en el cual se cuantifique el factor de escasez de los minerales. El análisis exergético de los recursos minerales y los procesos metalúrgicos de la industria de la minería realizados en esta tesis, requirió el establecimiento de una serie de objetivos. El primero de ellos fue realizar un estudio detallado de las tecnologías y los consumos energéticos asociados a la industria minera y metalúrgica. Un segundo objetivo fue analizar la influencia del aprendizaje tecnológico y la disminución de la ley mineral en la disponibilidad de los recursos minerales, con el objetivo de conocer si la adquisición de experiencia a través del tiempo, ha sido capaz de evitar el aumento en la demanda de energía que presentan los procesos extractivos y de metalurgia. Los resultados obtenidos de las dos actividades anteriores, permitieron una importante mejora del método Exergoecológico: los costos exergéticos de reposición que tradicionalmente habían sido evaluados de manera estática, pudieron ser actualizados considerando la tendencia del decremento de la ley mineral. Una mejora adicional presentada en esta tesis fue resolver el problema de asignación de costos entre productos, subproductos y residuos que comúnmente aparecen en la industria minera y metalúrgica. Considerando los nuevos costos exergéticos de reposición obtenidos, se propuso un nuevo procedimiento de asignación de costos que será utilizado en el análisis termoeconómico aplicado a los procesos mineros y metalúrgicos. Otro objetivo de esta tesis, consistió en la integración del análisis termoeconómico realizado a través del Costo Termoecológico desarrollado por el grupo del ITC de la Silesian University of Technology, para combinar las ventajas de ambos enfoques para el análisis de la industria minera. Finalmente, cada objetivo descrito anteriormente fue aplicado a diferentes casos de estudio