Researchers at the University of Birmingham in the U.K. have devised a new system that can be retrofitted on existing steel furnaces and help reduce carbon emissions of the process by as much as 90 percent, aThe iron and steel-making industry is one of the world's largest producers of carbon dioxide, accounting for nearly nine percent of all global emissions.
The top gas from the furnace contains nitrogen, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide, which is then burnt to raise the air blast temperature to 2192 - 2462 Fahrenheit in a hot stove before being blown into the furnace. After manufacturing steel, carbon dioxide and nitrogen are released into the environment.
The press release said that this system's closed loop of carbon recycling could replace 90 percent of the coke typically used in blast furnaces. "Current proposals for decarbonizing the steel sector rely on phasing out existing plants and introducing electric arc furnaces powered by renewable electricity.