Kobe Steel to Start Electric Furnace Dust Treatment Engineering Business

Kobe Steel starts electric furnace dust treatment engineering business by utilizing the original direct iron reduction technology, FASTMET. The firm, which already provides the technology for dust of blast furnace and converter, established the treatment technology for electric furnace through the development project with support by Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. With the technology, electric furnace steel makers can collect iron and zinc from the dust while the makers usually asked the treatment for third party. Kobe Steel tries to market the technology under surging ferrous scrap market. Electric furnace dust was hard to treat by rotary hearth furnace due to the ultra fine grain and zinc rich nature. Kobe Steel started the project from 2003 to 2007 with support by METI to develop technology to collect valuable metals through rotary hearth furnace. The firm built FASTMET test plant in Kakogawa works for the development. The firm succeeded the process technology to make direct reduced iron removing 95% of the zinc and make crude zinc oxide. The high temperature process clears dioxin contained in electric furnace dust. The firm tries to provide the process for electric furnace steel makers appealing the recycling and clean technology.