At the headquarters of Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works (MMK), the Magnitogorsk section of the conference “Best Available Technology in Blast Furnace Production” will take place.
The conference was organized by the Russian Steel association, the International Union of Metallurgists and the magazine Eurasian Metals, with support from the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade.
The first part of the two-day event took place in Moscow. Conference participants were industry experts and representatives of leading Russian metallurgical companies. They examined issues related to the application of the best available technologies (BAT) and environmental requirements and presented the latest world-class technologies and technical solutions in sintering, as well as the best practices in leading domestic and foreign enterprises.
The conference will continue today in Magnitogorsk. As part of the itinerary, there will be a visit to the MMK production site. The guests – around 60 Russian and non-Russian metallurgical plant specialists – will get to know the inner workings of the new sinter plant No. 5, as well as MMK’s blast furnace shop.
Russia’s most modern sinter plant is a vivid example of the successful application of the principles of BAT in metallurgical production. The sinter plant No. 5 was commissioned in July. The maximum capacity of the sinter plant is 5.5 million tons of high-quality sinter per year.
“This project will significantly reduce the negative impact on the environment,” said Victor Rashnikov, Chairman of the Board of Directors of MMK. “The commissioning of a new sinter plant guarantees a radical increase in environmental safety. This is part of MMK’s wider investment strategy, whereby the plant radically updates production methods.”
The sinter plant is equipped with 19 highly efficient environmental facilities. Each sinter machine is equipped with a sulfur-trapping unit and a sinter gas recirculation system, which ensures the purification of all exhaust gases. Sulfur capture plants provide purification of up to 2.5 million cubic meters per hour of sinter gas, with an effectiveness of 99% for dust and 98% for sulfur dioxide. In the environmental protection facilities of the factory, there are also eleven suction systems with a cleaning efficiency of more than 99%. They capture industrial dust, which is then returned to sinter production. The plant fully recycles all resulting sludge from sulfur-catching plants – with the side effect of producing marketable gypsum. The recycling water supply system allows the collection, removal and reuse of wastewater from the industrial site.
The commissioning of the new sinter plant made it possible to decommission the obsolete and environmentally inferior equipment of sinter plant No. 4. As a result, dust emissions will be halved (by 2,100 tons per year), sulfur dioxide reduced to a quarter of the previous output (by 3,500 tons per year), and benzopyrene will be one sixteenth of previous output. In addition, the discharge of pollutants into the circulating water supply system will be reduced by 600 tons per year; technological waste from the sinter plant into waste storage facility No. 2 will decrease by 13,750 tons per year.
After the excursion, participants of the conference will hear reports and comments from MMK Group specialists. They will discuss construction and technical solutions at the new sinter plant, capacity development and environmental achievements from the introduction of modern technology and new equipment. MMK representatives will also introduce participants to the design and performance of blast furnace production using sinter from a new sinter plant and will talk about the technical re-equipment of blast furnaces and the experience of MMK’s cooperation with Chinese companies. (MMK/Ukrainian metal)