Solution 2 - Optimizing electric arc furnace

Scrap is treated in electric furnaces on the recycling route so that it can be 100% recycled. The material remains a versatile and increasingly useful resource for an almost infinite range of products.

Steel is the world's most recycled material.

Resources are not available in unlimited quantities. The recycling of steel makes a particular contribution to the sustainable use of resources. The declared aim is to conserve and preserve them for future generations.

When steel has served its purpose after a few decades, it becomes scrap. However, this scrap remains a high-quality raw material. It can then be recycled as often as required without any loss of quality and returned in full to the economic cycle.

• The scrap is melted in an electric arc furnace at high temperatures. Graphite electrodes conduct the electric current and generate the arc, which converts the electrical energy into heat of fusion with very good efficiency and high energy density.
• No iron ore is required for this process. Virtually no CO₂ is produced during the actual process.
• It should be borne in mind that the majority of the electricity required still comes from coal-fired power plants.
• The CO₂-emissions have therefore already been generated at an earlier point in time. 
• Another challenge is the fact that there is not nearly enough scrap in the world to completely eliminate the need for iron ore. 
• In addition, the number of electric arc furnaces is limited and this process is mainly used for the production of stainless steels..
• This path can therefore only serve as a solution or bridging technology to a limited extent.

According to the example calculation in ISO 14404.2, 0.396 tons of CO₂ are generated during crude steel production. Further savings can be achieved by operating with green electricity.

In this process, scrap is melted in an electric arc furnace at high temperatures. Graphite electrodes conduct the electric current and generate the arc, which converts the electrical energy into heat of fusion with very good efficiency and high energy density. No iron ore is used here and virtually no CO₂ is produced during the actual process. Nevertheless, most of the electricity needed still comes from coal-fired power stations, so that CO₂ emissions occur at an earlier stage. Due to the limited amount of scrap, it is not yet possible to do without iron ore completely.

The electric steel route is often seen as a bridging technology on the way to the production of "green steel". However, this manufacturing process cannot come close to covering the entire range of goods and market requirements. However, the achievable CO₂-product footprint (PCF) is already very good.

1. Lower CO₂-emissions: Compared to the blast furnace route, which uses coking coal as a reducing agent, the electric steel route has lower CO2 emissions. Instead of coal, electrical energy is used as the primary energy source, and this electricity can come from renewable energy sources such as wind, solar or hydropower. This significantly reduces CO2 emissions.
2. Flexibility in the energy source: The electric steel route makes it possible to choose the energy source flexibly. This means that steel production can be switched to renewable energy sources if required, which is an important step towards low-carbon or carbon-free production.
3. Increased efficiency: Electric arc furnaces and electric arc furnace units are more efficient in terms of energy consumption and heat recovery compared to conventional blast furnaces. This results in less energy loss and more sustainable production overall.
4. Recycling scrap: The electric steel route often uses scrap as the main raw material, which reduces dependence on iron ore. This helps to conserve natural resources and reduce environmental impact.
5. Lower environmental impact: he electric steel route not only reduces CO2 emissions, but also minimizes other environmentally harmful effects, such as the emission of pollutants and waste.
6. Limited additionality: In relation to Eletrostahlroute, additionality means that the transformation efforts must go beyond what has already been applied and achieved.