Clean Coke Making Technologies

Abstract

Steel has become a cornerstone and key driver for the world’s economy with its unique combination of strength, formability and versatility. With steel production having nearly doubled and reached 1.417 million tons in 2010 since 1990, metallurgical coke will continue to be major energy source for steel production through BF-BOF route. While this coke dependent steel making process through hot metal creates significant Green House Gas emissions resulting in global warming and climate change, the coke making process itself is a source of pollution with carcinogenic Benzo(a)pyrene leaking into the ambient air. Apart from improvement of economics of coke production and optimization of coke quality,reduction of carcinogenic emissions is now mandatory for prospective new coke plants in countries with increasing demand for steel. The third session of the Conference of Parties(COP3) held in Kyoto developed a protocol for United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change with the objective of “Stabilizing atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system”. Similarly for carcinogenic leak control, the legislation for environmental control as given by ‘The Clean Air Act’ of USA, ‘TA Luft’ of Germany and the BREF document of the European Union are accepted as a standard for other countries. While clean technologies like Coal Moisture Control, DAPS, Coke Dry Quenching, SCOPE-21 facilitate reductions in energy and CO2 emission from coke plants, Non-recovery Heat Recovery Coke Ovens,Pressure Regulated Oven (PROven) system and modern zero leak doors demonstrate their ultimate control over carcinogenic emissions.