JFE Steel announced on Wednesday the firm completed construction of a pilot plant to produce ferro coke in Keihin area of East Japan iron works and the pilot plant started operation in November. The firm aims to establish basic production technology in fiscal 2011 ending in March 2012 and to enter the prolonged operation in fiscal 2012. The firm plans to feed 2,500 tonnes of ferro coke into no.6 blast furnace in Chiba area of East Japan iron works in April-May 2012 and research temperature condition in reducing reaction for sinter. The plant is expected to reduce production cost by usage of low quality coal and iron ore with below 60% purity and decrease CO2 emission at about 500,000 tonnes per year when ferro cokeis fed into a large-size blast furnace.
JFE Steel constructed the plant with support from New Energy & Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO). Operation of the molded equipment started in April 2011 as the preceding process and the pyrolysis furnace commenced operation in November. Construction works were carried out from December 2009 to September 2011 with total cost at about 3.5 billion yen. The processes are to crush non- and soft-coking coal, to mix crushed coal and iron ore powder with additive agents, to mold the mixed material under high pressure, and to heat the molded material in a continuous pyrolysis furnace for 11-12 hours at about 1,000 Celsius degrees. Completed ferro coke contains 70% coke and 30% iron. The output capacity is 40 tonnes per day for molded material and 30 tonnes per day for ferro coke. JFE Steel plans to alternate 30% of ordinary coke with ferro coke put in a blast furnace. Ferro coke can lower temperature of sinter reducing reaction and reduce total coke usage and CO2 emission. The firm aims to establish production and equipment technologies for ferro coke at the pilot plant toward March 2013.