TOWARDS A CLEANER, GREENER &

SMARTER INDIAN STEEL INDUSTRY

S. Das Gupta &Bhaskar Roy

The authors are with M. N. Dastur & Company (P) Ltd, Consulting Engineers,
Kolkata
Presentation made at 4th India Steel Summit organised by ASSOCHAM in
New Delhi on 11th August 2010.

Indian Steel Industry

Future Prospects

19
96
-9
19 7
97
-9
19 8
98
-9
19
99 9
-2
00
20 0
00
-0
20 1
01
-0
20 2
02
-0
20 3
03
-0
20 4
04
-0
20 5
05
-0
20 6
06
-0
20 7
07
-0
20 8
08
-0
20 9
09
-1
0

Quantity, mill. tons

60

50

40

20
Take-off point !

30

Steady growth
Accelerated growth

10

Apparent Steel Consumption Trend

3

Quantity, million tons

1,300
1,200
1,100
1,000
900
800
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
1981

China

World

542

India
1985

1990

1995

2000

2005

2009

Apparent Steel Consumption India vs World

4

Indian Steel Industry on a Strong Growth Path

2009-10
2011-12

55 mill. tons
65 mill. tons

2019-20

120 mill. tons

Quantity, mill. tons

140 mill. tons

Actual consumption
Considering 7.5% CAGR between
2009-10 & 2011-12
Considering 8% CAGR between
2011-12 & 2019-20
Considering 10% CAGR between
2011-12 & 2019-20

140
120
100
80
60
40
200910

201112

201516

201920

Likely Future Steel Demand Scenario in India

5

Scope for Increasing Rural Steel Consumption !

Population, mill

Year

Urban

Per capita steel, kg

Rural

Urban

Urban

Rural

National

345

810

153

53

55

2011-12

370

825

166

61.5

3.5

65

2015-16

430

835

210

90

95

40

Urban

80

0
2009-10

2011-12

2015-16

100
Rural

80
60

Urban

120
Rural

160

Total steel, mill. tons

2009-10

200
Per capita steel, kg

Rural

Total steel, mill. tons

40
20
0
2009-10

2011-12

2015-16

The Rural-Urban Steel Divide in India

6

Environmental Aspects
of Indian Steel Industry

Major Factors in Ensuring Steel Industry

Sustainability :
Energy intensity.
Greenhouse gas emissions.
Material efficiency, i.e. % of by-products re-used.

As defined by World Steel Association member companies.

Average of Integrated Plants 6.5 Gcal/tcs

Energy consumpn, Gcal / tcs

9
BSP

BSL
DSP

RSP
TATA

VSP
JSW

ESSAR

4
2004-05

2005-06

2006-07

2007-08

2008-09

SPECIFIC ENERGY CONSUMPTIONS IN

INDIAN INTEGRATED STEEL PLANTS
9

Considerable potential to
reduce energy intensity in
India.

Japan

S. Korea

India

4
World-avg

0
7
6

ThyssenKrupp

JFE

ArcelorMittal

VSP

TATA STEEL

5
SAIL

Energy, Gcal/tcs

Energy, Gcal/tcs

SPECIFIC ENERGY CONSUMPTION

INDIA VS OTHER COUNTRIES
(2008/2009 figures)

10

Source: Meeting the Challenge of Climate Change by Ian Christmas, Secretary

General, World Steel Association, 5th China International Steel Congress,
Shanghai, 2nd June 2008.

STEEL INDUSTRY & GHG EMISSIONS

11

India

0.5

ArcelorMittal

JFE

NSC

ThyssenKrupp

POSCO

1.5

India

2
World-average

t CO2 / tcs

2.5

CO2 EMISSION BY STEEL INDUSTRY

INDIA VS OTHER COUNTRIES
(2008/2009 figures)
12

India
<80%
JFE

POSCO

World-average

% Re-used

100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0

EXTENT OF BY-PRODUCTS REUSE

INDIA VS OTHER COUNTRIES
(2008/2009 figures)
13

Making Indian Steel Industry More Environment

Friendly :

Domestic steel production bound to grow

substantially in future.
Inevitable impact on the environment.
Indian steel producers seized of the situation concerted efforts to mitigate harmful effects.

However, need for more R&D efforts to develop

break-through technologies.
Explore possibility of collaborating with agencies
involved in R&D activities.

14

International Efforts at Developing

New Technologies/Processes:
POSCO: substantially reduce CO2 emissions
in 10-12 years through hydrogen-based
steelmaking.
ULCOS (Ultra Low CO2 Steelmaking) program
in EU since 2004 to develop breakthrough
technologies.

15

Iron Ore

CONCEPTUAL SCHEME OF HYDROGEN-BASED

STEEL MAKING OF POSCO
16

Salient Features of ULCOS Program:

Objective - R&D initiative to reduce CO2
emissions by developing new breakthrough
technologies
Consortium of major European steelmakers
& Rio Tinto.
Involves Carbon Capture & Sequestration (CCS).

17

Salient Features of ULCOS Program contd:

Some of the process routes identified:
Top Gas Recycling
Blast Furnace (TGR-BF).

Smelting reduction process

HIsarna; incorporating some
features of HIsmelt process.
Others:
Shaft furnace DR process ULCORED.
Electrolysis variants ULCOWIN & ULCOLYSIS.

18

Smarter Steels

19

Major Demand Drivers for Indian Steel Industry:

Construction, Automotive & Infrastructure sectors
major drivers of steel demand in India.
Automobiles - Second fastest growing market
after China.
Need to develop/produce smart steels with
desired properties to support sectoral growth.
Typical requirements:
For automotive steels - superior formability,
without compromising on weldability.
For structural applications - high strength, high
corrosion resistance, better weldability.
20

High-Strength Steels for Automotive Applications:

High-strength steels provides better mechanical properties
or greater resistance to corrosion than carbon steel.
Few grades developed:

Dual phase steel

TRIP steel
TWIP steel
Evolving AHSS grades:
Nano steels
Ultra-fine grain steels

21

80

Austenitic-Based
Steels, e.g. TWIP

Elongation, %

70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
0

200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600 1800

Tensile Strength, MPa

MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF SOME

HIGH STRENGTH AUTO-GRADE STEELS
22

Development of steel foam:

Metal foams with controlled porosity - emerging class of

ultra-lightweight materials receiving increased attention.
Weight reduction, improved fuel efficiency & increased
passenger safety in transportation systems.
Safer vehicles due to crash energy absorption capabilities.

23

Status of Developmental Work in India:

Work on TRIP / TWIP & other high strength steels in
progress.
R&D activity on development of steel foam.
Bulk production of high strength steels for automotive
application still to take off.

24

Few Action Points for

Indian Steel Industry

25

Better Utilisation of Iron Ore Resource:

India endowed with large reserves of iron ore need for
a policy for better resource utilisation.
Lowering cut-off grade from 55-58% to ~45% & exploration
to greater depths for resource estimation.
With advances in beneficiation techniques, lower grade
in-situ material, reject dumps & slimes can be economically
upgraded & gainfully utilised.
Lowering environmental degradation 2.5 mtpy washing
plant impacts 5 acres of forest land & about 12,500 trees
annually.

26

Better Operating Practices for Reducing

Energy Intensity:
Higher agglomerates in BF burden lower Si in hot metal
for 1 mt hot metal 7,000 Gcal less energy required
for every 0.1% lowering in Si content.
Greater application of heat recovery systems
introduction of modern, energy efficient technologies.
maximising waste energy recycling, e.g. CDQ, TRT,
sinter waste heat recovery, BF stoves waste heat
recovery.
Wider utilisation of NNS casting
beam blank
strip casting

27

Utilisation of Iron & Steel Making Slags:

At ThyssenKrupp Stahl, BF & SMS slags processed
into valuable materials for use in cement making, road
construction, or as soil conditioner.
ArcelorMittal in Brazil has developed a new way of

producing construction bricks from steel mill slag.

What Nippon Steel is doing:

28

Green Buildings & Energy Optimisation:

Typical Energy Consumption
Pattern in Buildings:
Source: CII-Sohrabji Godrej Green
Business Centre
Misc. Equipment

Potential for energy savings 40 50% in new buildings; for

existing buildings, the potential can be 20-25%.
Design should ensure building gets maximum day lighting.

Maximise use of solar power; explore wind energy possibility.

Use of energy saving materials & equipment like heat resistive
paints, fly ash blocks, insulation materials, lighting controls,
BIPV (Building Integrated Photo Voltaics), etc.

29

Stricter Monitoring of Air & Water Pollution:

Mandatory environmental audit to identify & prioritize
areas for short, medium & long term addressal through
appropriate mitigation measures.
Formation of dedicated & specialised Environment
Management Divisions at corporate & plant levels.
Stricter enforcement of relevant provisions of Environment
(Protection) Acts & Rules, with severe penalties for
deliberate non-compliance.

30

Concluding Remarks

31

 Indian steel industry already on high growth path.

Enhanced domestic steel production will call for
higher demands on various inputs & also entail
greater emissions.
Indian steel industry required to adhere to
commitments made at Kyoto & Copenhagen.
Industry competitiveness to be ensured by
balancing economic & environmental aspects.

32

 Indian steel industry seized of the matter &

various steps already initiated.
However, considerable potential exists to
improve sustainability of Indian steel industry.
Significant reduction of CO2 emissions possible
by developing breakthrough technologies.

33

Thank you for your kind attention!

34