The Metal-Expo in Moscow attracts metallurgical professionals from around the world. They come to see the newest technologies and discuss the latest market trends.
As usual, sustainability and the circular economy were hot topics. So we were happy to see our customer, NLMK, receive a gold medal for their new metallurgical briquetting plant in Lipetsk. The plant features a Steele stiff extrusion line and produces 700,000 metric tons of metallurgical briquettes annually.
The Metal-Expo also recognized the late Ivan Kuranov, a giant in the Russian steel industry and former chief blast furnace operator at NLMK Lipetsk. Kuranov designed the new metallurgical briquetting plant. He worked closely with Steele engineers on application development and Direxa Engineering, our EPC partner, to deliver a turnkey solution.
How our solution supports the circular economy
Today, more steel makers recognize the need for sustainable, scalable resource recovery. NLMK chose stiff extrusion to convert high-value iron and carbon units from multiple waste streams into a homogenous mix.
Our solution uses cold bonding to recover iron and carbon from blast furnace gas treatment, coke and coal dust. Cold bonding eliminates gas, heating or firing, for a critical drop in the plant’s CO2 emissions.
Recycling these mill by-products on-site reduces waste, recovers captive value and shortens the supply chain. This was critical to NLMK as a vertically integrated enterprise.
Briquetting returns 240,000 tons of NLMK blast furnace sludge to production. It’s cut consumption of iron ore pellets by 9% and coke by 3%, reducing the cost of pig iron by 2%. The project also created approximately 200 new jobs.
Feedstock engineered for NLMK melt recipes
Ivan Kuranov knew that his blast furnace operators couldn’t sacrifice product quality for sustainability. He chose Steele stiff extrusion because he could engineer his feedstock for improved reduction and sinter strand performance.
Stiff extrusion permits less binder, for more high-value iron and carbon recovery. And vacuum improves green and cured strength, giving NLMK briquettes more durability out of the extruder.
Ready for sustainable, scalable resource recovery?
Looking for a proven solution for the captive value in your by-products? Our solutions are ideal for fines, dust, iron concentrates and mill scale, with minus 3mm fines of varying moisture levels.
The NLMK plant is our third successful blast furnace recycling project in three years. We can help you achieve the same results as NLMK and other leading steel makers around the world.
Talk to us.
The new NLMK metallurgical briquetting plant in Lipetsk showcases Steele stiff extrusion technology.