On December 23, China completed its first million-mt near-zero-carbon steel production line in Zhanjiang City, Guangdong Province, marking China's steel industry breaking away from its dependence on traditional fossil fuels, which is a big breakthrough in the steel industry’s green and low-carbon transformation, as announced by Department of Ecology and Environment of Guangdong Province.
The production line owned by Baowu Steel adopts an advanced hydrogen-based metallurgical electric smelting process, replacing traditional coke with hydrogen as the primary reducing agent, cutting carbon emissions at the source. Meanwhile, it powers the entire electric-furnace smelting process with renewable electricity, reducing the carbon footprint from the energy side.
The near-zero-carbon steel production line include 220 mt high efficiency green electric furnace, refining facilities and 2,150 mm single-strand slab continuous casting production line.
Compared with conventional processes, the near-zero-carbon steel production line can cut carbon emissions by 50 to 80 percent.