As we help our clients improve their melting processes, we see them reduce their emissions of gas and dust from their Electric Arc Furnaces (EAFs). Some clients opt for spraytower technology on their Direct Evacuation Control (DEC) systems, leading to a zero wastewater discharge condition. These solutions lead to more production at reduced costs. The connection between environmental control and operations has become so dominant in the industrialized nations that it has prompted the observation that the environmental tail is wagging the operational dog. This statement is based on the observation that emission limits for EAFs sometimes are not based on what is harmful to the environment but on how low can we go with control technology. In North America the focus of environmental attention for the steel industry is primarily on air pollution issues, with water discharge and solid waste disposal in less prominent positions. The overall trend seems to be towards reduced emissions and faster melting. European data confirm the general trend toward reduced dust emissions over the twenty year period from 1970 to 1990. [1] The steel industry is assumed to follow the same trend as general industry. In our experience, significant gains were initially due to the installation of adequate emission control equipment. However, the gains after 1980 rely more and more heavily on operational efficiency. In this paper, we will take a qualitative look at some of the aspects of efficient steelmaking and how they can improve the environmental performance of the meltshop.
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