16 Aug 2011:Tangshan Iron & Steel invests in Green technologies
Tangshan Iron & Steel has unveiled its most recent environmental protection measures, which can also save money. The mill is located in Tangshan city, Hebei province, 150 km northwest of Beijing.
Since 2008, Tangshan Iron & Steel has worked to improve the sustainability of its steel production. This includes installing desulphurisation and dust-removal devices to cut air pollution, and methods to use secondary energy.
More recently, Tangshan has opened a 300-million-RMB plant, which treats wastewater from city residents for use in the steel manufacturing process, while saving on water purchasing.
16 Aug 2011: ArcelorMittal records improvement in CO2 intensity of emissions
ArcelorMittal’s latest report on its environmental performance shows its CO2 emissions rising in 2010, which the company attributes to rising sales during the world economic recovery.
However, there was progress on the Co2 intensity of its emissions. According to its Corporate and Social Responsibility report, these fell in 2010, representing an improvement on 2009, when the CO2 intensity of its emissions rose.
ArcelorMittal says it has reduced its carbon footprint in Europe by 50% over the last 30 years, thanks to “continuous improvement to processes aimed at energy consumption reduction, increased steel recycling and growing material efficiency.”
ArcelorMittal is participating in an Ultra-Low Carbon Dioxide Steelmaking (ULCOS) joint research project to find a breakthrough technology to reduce CO2 gas emissions from steelmaking by 50%. The company announced in Feb 2011 that it would use the $170m in revenue from trading carbon credits to reinvest in green technology projects.
4th Aug 2011: Ijmuiden Ultra-Low Carbon Steelmaking pilot plant passes first milestone, EU funding approved
The first phase of the ULCOS project which aims to achieve a breakthrough reduction in CO2 emissions from steelmaking has been successfully completed, and the European Commission has approved continued funding for the initiative. The Tata Steel HIsarna ironmaking pilot plant at Ijmuiden (NL) has completed its test campaign. The technology, owned by Tata Steel and Rio Tinto, is targetting a 20% reduction in emissions from current installed blast furnace technology, and further environmental improvements from carbon capture and storage.
28th July 2011: Tata Steel plans to produce hydrogen from molten slag
Tata Steel is at an advanced stage of preparations to start producing hydrogen on a large scale through water quenching of molten slag. According to Sumitesh Das, Chief of Global Research at Tata Steel “Tata may earn more money from hydrogen than steel. That is the final ambition if we can make hydrogen work”. Tata Steel has been granted patents for a process it has developed which uses the waste heat from molten slag to split water molecules in order to collect hydrogen that can be used as a low-cost, Green fuel. It hopes to put in place the necessary partnerships and tie-ups within the next 12-20 months that could enable the company to successfully capture, store, transport and utilize hydrogen.
Source: The Journey (Tata Steel inhouse journal)
© Copyright Tata Steel 2011
18 Feb 2011: Tata Steel invests in Green Research and Development
Tata Steel has opened two new research facilities aimed at tackling environmental challenges and opportunities.
SPECIFIC (the Sustainable Product Engineering Centre for Innovative Functional Industrial Coatings) is a £20 million 5-year programme supported by Tata Steel in South Wales to develop and bring to market new coatings for roofs and walls made of steel or glass that will enable buildings to generate, store and release energy.
The £5 million HTIC (High-Temperature Innovation Centre) will carry out development work on Teesside in areas such as novel sources of fuel and energy, recovery of raw materials and reduction in organic wastes. The HTIC site is located at Tata Steel’s Teesside Technology Centre – the building previously used by Corus for R&D. Tata Group has a track record of building a culture of innovation and investing in new products and services.
The University Cambridge is investing £41m in a brand new home for its Department of Materials Science & Metallurgy, which will open in 2012. Tata Steel is sponsoring a Tata Professor of Metallurgy at the department – a position currently held by H.K.D.H. Bhadeshia.
