Open / Close Advertisement

Vale Starts up Tecnored Demonstration Plant

09/22/2011 - Tecnored Desenvolvimento Tecnológico S.A., a Vale company, in partnership with Brazil's development bank, BNDES, and Logos Tecnocom, has started up the first pig iron demonstration plant that does not use traditional blast furnace methods, in Pindamonhangaba, São Paulo state.

Tecnored Desenvolvimento Tecnológico S.A., a Vale company, in partnership with Brazil's development bank, BNDES, and Logos Tecnocom, has started up the first pig iron demonstration plant that does not use traditional blast furnace methods, in Pindamonhangaba, São Paulo state. The innovation is said to enable higher productivity, lower emissions of CO2 and particulate matter, the flexible use of raw materials, and a reduction of up to 30% in the cost of steel production.
 
The technology, called Tecnored, may help to extend the lifespan of Vale's mines and reduce their environmental impact, since it enables pig iron to be produced from iron ore of different grades and quality, and even ultrafine iron ore, which is currently deposited in tailings ponds. "By using iron ore fines, we can reduce the need to open up new areas for tailings ponds, which require environmental licenses to be created," said Pedro Gutemberg, Vale's Global Director of Basic Materials Marketing.
 
Tecnored is still at the first stage of development. The next steps are to ensure operational stability and pursue economic feasibility. "This start-up has encouraged us to move ahead in our research, as the tests show that the technology is technically feasible," Gutemberg said.
 
The technology uses cold pellets measuring 50 mm across, made up of lumps of fine particles of iron ore and a reducing product, such as different types of coal. The reducing agent removes oxygen from the iron ore, which is transformed into pig iron when heated in the furnace. Low-cost fuels such as coal or biomass can be used to supply the process with energy.
 
By using the cold pellets, the new Tecnored technology eliminates the need to use coke and sinterization facilities, thereby reducing construction costs. By eliminating coking and sinterization, it is possible to cut energy use, and consequently emissions of particulate matter and carbon dioxide, as well as raising the productivity of the whole process. Iron oxide reduction using Tecnored takes place in 30 minutes.
 
The company's technicians forecast that by using Tecnored, an industrial plant could produce 85% less particulate matter compared with a traditional steel mill. Nitrogen oxide (NO) emissions could be reduced by up to 95%, and CO2 emissions by up to 5%.
 
In traditional steelmaking, the blast furnace is between 20 and 30 meters in height; the Tecnored plant's furnace reaches no higher than 5 meters. "Besides being compact, the furnace has the added benefit of being made up of modules, which allows its size and production potential to be raised in line with objectives," said Gutemberg.
  
Vale owns 43.04% of Tecnored's shares; BNDESPar, BNDES' investment arm, owns 31.79%; and Logos Tecnocom, which represents the researchers who developed the technology, has 25.17%. Seven patents related to the new technology have so far been filed, covering 35 countries.
 
The demonstration plant, whose production capacity is 75,000 tonnes per year, was started up on September 12. Since it joined the venture in 2009, Vale has invested around R$130 million of the total of approximately R$250 million spent so far to develop it. The company says it is committed to building an industrial plant capable of producing 300,000 tonnes per year, or 10% of the nominal capacity of a traditional blast furnace.