Highly efficient technologies for increased yields in steelmaking processes and reduced environmental impact

Steelmaking is a key process for a climate neutral, circular and digitized production. On one hand it enables green technologies in providing the most relevant materials needed to achieve climate neutrality, on the other hand it accounts for 7% of total world CO2 emissions.

Its transition towards a more sustainable and still competitive production requires to increase the use of scrap to minimize the pig iron usage from coal fired blast furnaces with inherent CO2 emissions from reducing the iron ore. Furthermore, scrap can be valorised by use of carbon carriers and containing alloying elements in steel scrap, e.g. in recycling of Mn steels.

HIYIELD aims to promote circular economy by progressively increasing the scrap uptake in three scenarios that represent the current European steelmaking routes. With the ambition to deliver solutions with relevance to all steelmakers, the consortium includes three producers with different portfolio.

Main objectives are:

• to maximise scrap quality by optimal technologies for removal of impurities and optimal use of alloying elements
• to maximise scrap use by improved scrap identification and classification together with scrap tracking in circular economy
• to maximise product quality with further scrap uptake by charge optimization and ensuring the liquid steel analysis and thus the final steel product quality

HIYIELD contributes to the fight against climate change and to the EU steel industry competitiveness through the application of highly innovative methods and technologies to the steel sector such as:

• Deep Learning based Computer Vision for scrap identification and control
• Digital Scrap Information Card for scrap tracking
• High Speed Sampling and analysis to avoid waiting times for steel analysis.