Japan-based steelmaker Tokyo Steel Corporation has commissioned Japanese plantmaker Chugai Ro to supply electric furnace dust recycling equipment for the Utsunomiya Plant. The system will process electric furnace dust internally instead of outsourcing it as industrial waste and is scheduled to begin operation by the end of fiscal year 2026.
The equipment separates zinc from the dust and recovers it as crude zinc oxide, which will be sold as a commercial product. The remaining residue will be recycled back into the electric furnace, enabling zero emissions at the factory level.
Following two years of joint demonstration tests using a 1/5-scale machine, the companies have finalized a contract for a commercial system capable of processing 1 mt per hour. The full-scale equipment uses a compact rotary kiln that requires only 210 square meters of installation space
Tokyo Steel plans to expand the technology to other plants and promote it to electric furnace manufacturers globally as part of industry-wide decarbonization efforts.