JFE Steel Starts New Shaft Furnace for CO2 Gas Reduction

JFE Steel, Japanese major integrated steel maker, will start operation of a new shaft furnace soon with capacity of 500,000 tonnes per year in East Japan works of Keihin area. Capital expenditure for the introduction was about 10 billion yen.The new shaft furnace reduces energy consumption, which decreases CO2 emission by 50% compared with a blast furnace and reduces CO2 emission at 500,000 tonnes per year. The new furnace has high productivity and quality by the introduction of a leading-edge sensor, which has high collection rate for energy by recovered exhaust gas.Ferrous scrap and coke are put in the new shaft furnace. The furnace melts them and sends hot metal to steel making process. JFE Steel discharges CO2 gas at 2 tonnes every 1-tonne crude steel. The furnace can reduce CO2 gas at 500,000 tonnes per year with raw steel output of 500,000 tonnes per year. The firm is investing about 100 billion yen for energy saving and CO2 gas reduction for fiscal 2006-2008 ending March 2009 to reduce CO2 gas at 4.2 million tonnes per year. The firm will start operation of Coke Dry Quenching equipment in West Steel works of Kurashiki and Fukuyama area. Moreover, the firm is renewing 16 regenerate burners and oxygen plants.