Nippon Steel Launches No.3 Steel Dust Recycle Furnace at Kimitsu

Nippon Steel announced on Thursday the firm started full swing production of no.3 rotary hearth furnace with annual 310,000 tonnes of steel dust treatment capacity at Kimitsu works. The firm tries to recover steel, carbon and zinc from the dust through the world largest furnace. The firm launches no.3 RHF at Hirohata to expand the companywide treatment capacity to 1.2 million tonnes or complete recycling for the dust from all steel works. RHF can make direct reduced iron even from steel dust with zinc. The DRI is used at blast furnace and converter while the zinc is sold to nonferrous metals makers. The furnace enables zero emission operation along with saving energy and raw materials. The firm has 3 RHF with 610,000 tonnes of annual treatment capacity while the firm expands Hirohata’s treatment capacity by 200,000 tonnes to 600,000 tonnes in the year. The firm can recover around 1.4 million tonnes of Fe from annual 2.8 million tonnes of dust recycling including 1.2 million tonnes through RHF and 1.6 million tonnes through iron making process. The firm expects 2.8 million tonnes dust recycling represents 2.24 million tonnes of iron ore saving and 840,000 tonnes of lower carbon dioxide emission. The firm provides the recycling technology for alliance partners including POSCO and Baosteel Group.