Modeling and Carbon Emission Assessment of Novel Low-Carbon Smelting Process for Vanadium–Titanium Magnetite
The iron and steel industry, as a major energy consumer, was critically required to enhance operational efficiency and reduce CO<sub>2</sub> emissions. Conventional blast furnace processing of vanadium–titanium magnetite (VTM) in China had been associated with persistent challenges, incl...
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| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-04-01
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| Series: | Metals |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4701/15/4/461 |
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| Summary: | The iron and steel industry, as a major energy consumer, was critically required to enhance operational efficiency and reduce CO<sub>2</sub> emissions. Conventional blast furnace processing of vanadium–titanium magnetite (VTM) in China had been associated with persistent challenges, including suboptimal TiO<sub>2</sub> recovery rates (<50%) and elevated carbon intensity (the optimal temperature range for TiO<sub>2</sub> recovery lies within 1400–1500 °C). Shaft furnace technology has emerged as a low-carbon alternative, offering accelerated reduction kinetics, operational flexibility, and reduced environmental impact. This study evaluated the low-carbon PLCsmelt process for VTM smelting through energy–mass balance modeling, comparing two gas-recycling configurations. The process integrates a pre-reduction shaft furnace and a melting furnace, where oxidized pellets are initially reduced to direct reduced iron (DRI) before being smelted into hot metal. In Route 1, CO<sub>2</sub> emissions of 472.59 Nm<sup>3</sup>/tHM were generated by pre-reduction gas (1600 Nm<sup>3</sup>/tHM, 64.73% CO, and 27.17% CO<sub>2</sub>) and melting furnace top gas (93.98% CO). Route 2 incorporated hydrogen-rich gas through the blending of coke oven gas with recycled streams, achieving a 56.8% reduction in CO<sub>2</sub> emissions (204.20 Nm<sup>3</sup>/tHM) and altering the pre-reduction top gas composition to 24.88% CO and 40.30% H<sub>2</sub>. Elevating the pre-reduction gas flow in Route 2 resulted in increased CO concentrations in the reducing gas (34.56% to 37.47%) and top gas (21.89% to 26.49%), while gas distribution rebalancing reduced melting furnace top gas flow from 261.03 to 221.93 Nm<sup>3</sup>/tHM. The results demonstrated that the PLCsmelt process significantly lowered carbon emissions without compromising metallurgical efficiency (CO<sub>2</sub> decreased about 74.48% compared with traditional blast furnace which was 800 Nm<sup>3</sup>/tHM), offering a viable pathway for sustainable VTM utilization. |
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| ISSN: | 2075-4701 |