In the lead-up to World Environment Day, ArcelorMittal Kriviy Rih invited the public to its industrial facilities that were declared in the city environmental program and already reconstructed with significant environmental benefit. Environment protection specialists of Mining and Steelmaking Complex companies, the representatives of governmental entities, local government authorities of Kriviy Rih and other cities of Ukraine, as well as professors and students of Kriviy Rih universities had a chance to see and evaluate the installations.
For example, upgraded coke oven batteries Nos. 5 and 6 with installed coke side dedusting system enabled to reduce emission on those by more than 50% during coke production. Automated environment monitoring system was implemented on coke oven batteries.
In 2017, Twin Hearth Furnace No. 6 was transferred from over-flow to direct-flow operation. Fume extracting system was installed to extract fume from each hearth through its own flue, bypassing adjacent one, to GCP with its efficiency up to 99%. This enabled to minimize fugitive emissions and reduce them by 61%.
Due to construction of two new continuous casting machines (CCM), it is not required anymore to produce significant volumes at Blooming. Two new CCMs will become an alternative to Blooming and, therefore, the planned total reduction of emissions will make more than 290 tons a year.
In addition, other latest major investment projects, which helped to reduce environmental footprint, were presented to the visitors. Particularly, reconstruction of GCPs on stock houses and cast houses of Blast Furnaces Nos. 6 and 8 and installation of highly efficient electrostatic precipitators enabled to reduce emissions by more than 40% in Blast Furnace Shop No. 1. Construction of new GCPs on BOFs Nos. 4, 5 and 6 enabled to reduce emissions by 30% in BOF Shop. Emissions reduced by more than 20% with new GCP installed on tailing parts of Sinter Machines Nos. 5 and 6 of Sinter Plant No. 2. Reconstruction of other sinter machines is in progress.
New automated effluents monitoring system caused big interest among visitors. At one of the stations, they had a chance to see how the system automatically, without any human participation, measures 7 indicators: рН, chlorides, ferrum, mineral oils, suspended solids and temperature, as well as quantitative indicator – disposal volume. The stations are equipped with analytical equipment manufactured by leading international companies. Implementation of the system enables to keep operational control over effluents quality.
Aleksandr Ivanov, Chief Operating Officer, ArcelorMittal Kriviy Rih: “As world steel producer No. 1, we understand our responsibility and aim to reduce environmental footprint. Before privatization in 2005, all facilities failed to meet European and Ukrainian standards on emissions. With a new owner, ArcelorMittal company, the large-scale modernization and the replacement of obsolete facilities have begun. A lot of work was done by now – we reduced environmental footprint 2-fold. The total investment in environment amounted to more than UAH 6.2 billion within the period from 2006 to Q1 2019”.
Iosif Mayakov, representative of public union “Kriviy Rih Environment Council”: “Today we have visited several facilities, the environmental impact of which we have assessed at the time, and I am pleased with the progress. This is not my first visit to THF-6 and the improvements due to its transfer to direct-flow operation are obvious. Fugitive emissions are not observed, all gases go directly to gas cleaning plant. However, I am mostly impressed with automated effluents monitoring station. I knew they existed, but this was the first time I saw it operating. I am now sure that this is a very useful and essential thing and mostly from the environmental point of view. I have never seen such thing anywhere. I think effluents monitoring system will significantly help with water resources conservation”.
Artyom Kolomoyets, member of Kriviy Rih City Council: “City Council members have visited ArcelorMittal Kriviy Rih before and we can see the company’s contribution to environmental projects. It is obvious that some investments are done, they construct new facilities and reconstruct existing ones. The company develops with every new year and reduces environmental footprint. And this is the right thing to do because our people work here and our families live in this city”.
Following site visit, further horizons of environmental modernization were discussed at the “round table”. Then, the prizes of environment protection competition were awarded to the students of Kriviy Rih National University and Kriviy Rih Pedagogical University. In their thesis, the students covered a range of critical issues – control over ambrosia and other allergen-plants, environment protection measures in open pits, monitoring of air pollutants concentration, restoration of industrial landscapes, methods of cleaning and desalination of mine water, etc. (AMKR/Ukrainian metal)