Russian steelmaker NLMK Group’s flagship production site, NLMK Lipetsk, has completed performance testing of new air purification systems installed on facilities that underwent capital repairs in late 2019, namely Basic Oxygen Furnace No. 2, which has a capacity in excess of 3Mt/yr of steel and Blast Furnace No. 6, which has a capacity of 3.4Mt/yr of pig iron.
The gas exhaust ducts at Basic Oxygen Furnace No. 2 have been overhauled and what NLMK describes as 'a highly efficient system for the capture and purification of fugitive emissions' has been installed at the BOF Shop. At the upgraded Blast Furnace No. 6 complex, new air purification systems have been integrated at feedstock supply and slag processing areas, and at the cast house. The new air purification systems can capture up to 99.9% of dust and are in line with best available technologies, it is claimed.
Measurements taken at the new gas purification systems have confirmed that their performance corresponds to design targets. The overall reduction in emissions of specified substances following implementation of the two projects amounted to 6,700 tonnes, including 5,500 tonnes of carbon monoxide (a 43% reduction at corresponding locations), 1,200 tonnes of dust (-53%), 4.1 tonnes of hydrogen sulphide (-51%), and 2 tonnes of sulphur dioxide (-10%).
The corresponding target effects for reduced emissions of specified substances were included into the quadripartite agreement between the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment, the Russian Federal Agency for Oversight of Natural Resource Usage, Lipetsk Region administration, and NLMK, signed in summer 2019. The agreement entails several upgrade and construction projects between 2019 and 2023. NLMK has already completed four out of nine projects included in the agreement, achieving the environmental targets set out for each project.