Far from traditional furnaces for producing steel, Chinese scientists recently unveiled a revolutionary new method. This is a technique 3,600 times faster which also means the disappearance of the coal usually necessary for the manufacture of steel.
A revolutionary process for making steel
Let us first remember that steel is a alloy mainly made of iron and carbon. Since the 19th century, its mechanical properties of hardness, resistance and elasticity have been highly appreciated in various industries, in construction, as well as in civil and military engineering. Its production involves grinding of iron ore before grading into grain. These grains then stick to each other before the mixture is cooked at 1,300°C. The iron extracted from the ore then becomes charged with carbon and is finally transformed into cast iron.
While the traditional process requires between five and six hours, a team from the Chinese Academy of Engineering promises a similar result between three and six secondsor 3,600 times faster. As explained by the South China Morning Post in an article dated December 8, 2024, researchers inject very finely ground iron ore powder into an extremely hot blast furnace using a vortex lance. The objective? Generate a explosive chemical reaction which causes the formation of liquid and incandescent drops of iron. These drops then fall to the bottom of the furnace and form a stream of very pure iron that can be used directly.
According to Zhang Wenhai, the main author of the work, this result comes after a decade of research. It also indicates that the process also works with low iron oresa resource that China has in abundance.
Interesting possibilities for China
In the near future, the democratization of this coal-free method should reduce the energy cost of steel by a third. This could give this country momentum towards its GHG emissions reduction targets. Additionally, there is potential for a significant reduction in imports of high iron ore from Australia, Brazil and some African countries.
Finally, it is possible that the repercussions of the generalization of this technique in China will also have other consequences on a global scale. By producing steel more quickly and perhaps in greater quantities, China could become even more competitive in different industrial sectorsincluding automobiles. It could also export steel products that are more interesting in terms of carbon footprint.
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