Steelmaking Using Petroleum Coke

Steel production is a high-temperature process, and only a few resources can provide the required temperatures. Coke is carbonaceous solid which can be used in blast-furnaces to melt the iron ore into molten metal. Coke is a product of crude oil refining, which involves heating heavy hydrocarbon fractions with oxygen to remove volatile matter and hydrogen. It is also produced through geological processes. Petcoke or petroleum coke is the most common name for coke. However, it can be produced by a process called "coking" at petroleum refineries, which uses low-ash, low-sulfur bituminous coal. Coke is the insoluble honeycomb-like material that results from destructive distillation.

Coke is an excellent fuel because of its carbon content and other properties. It can be used for the production of liquid iron. Fe + CO 2 ), or to replace natural gas when reducing sulphide iron directly to make direct-reduced iron (DRI). It is an excellent coal substitute in cyclone, fluidized bed, and PC boilers. This allows for lower emissions, and higher efficiency, than conventional coal.

It can also be blended with natural gas to make steel in the COREX, and other ironmaking process that use a Melter Gasifier. It is superior to natural gas because it provides a higher level carbon monoxide reducing gas, which minimizes the clustering in the reduced metallic iron during sintering and the reductive metalurgy stages.

This is a significant step up from the use of natural gases in these applications which produce high levels of nitrogen oxides and carbon dioxide (CO 2). This reduction in CO and NO x emissions reduces greenhouse gases.

Depending on how it is processed, green petroleum coke may be further processed to make calcined oil coke. This is a highly pure carbon material used for the aluminum and other industries. It can also be used in the production graphite electrodes. CPC calcined is also used by the steelmaking industry in order to improve sinter's quality and to replace a portion of the gas used as an reducing agent.

CPC, in addition to its steelmaking application, can be used to produce electricity in power stations. It is an excellent fuel for blending both in conventional cyclone and computer boilers. In the future, when the world is moving towards a more green economy, it could play a vital role. This is of particular importance for countries such India, who are trying hard to meet the rapidly growing demand for industrial materials and steel while limiting the use of fossil fuels. CPC can be used in these applications to help make these goals possible and reduce dependence on imported petroleum.

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