Steel production accounts for around 7% of the world’s carbon emissions, making it one of the largest industrial emitters. Faced with climate change challenges, growing consumer demand and increasing carbon pricing, leading steelmakers worldwide are concentrating on reducing their carbon footprint.
ANDRITZ Metals is supporting the steel industry in its efforts to produce steel in a more sustainable way, specifically in the downstream production process. As a pioneer in the market, we offer a “green” continuous galvanizing line (CGL).
Martin Fein
A typical continuous galvanizing line (CGL), producing around 550,000 tons of steel, emits 32,000 tons of CO2 per year through gas-fired heating sections. Our vision for the future is to achieve a CGL with zero CO2 emissions by using renewable electricity and green hydrogen.
We have now developed a unique solution to replace the CGL’s gas-fired radiant tubes with electrical ones – without having to modify the existing support or inner furnace. This allows fast revamps and simplified maintenance. By using renewable electricity, local CO2 emissions can be eliminated completely. In addition, toxic NOx emissions are removed and energy efficiency can be increased by up to 40%.
To test the mechanical solutions in real operating conditions we have designed and built a furnace in our laboratory in Hemer, Germany. We have also successfully validated our pioneering solution in customer furnaces.
Exemplary radiant tube setup in our test furnace in Hemer:
Many CGLs also feature a direct-fired furnace (DFF) section, operated with fossil fuel. To decarbonize it, we are currently developing new green hydrogen burners.
With our advanced prototype, we have already achieved very promising results, in terms of effectiveness and energy efficiency.
With our innovative solutions, we continue to be a leading supplier and partner for global steel producers. We support them in their ambition to make “green” steel, contributing to a more sustainable future.
