At the Central Mining and Processing Plant (TsGOK) of the Dutch mining and metallurgical holding Metinvest B.V. (Metinvest) Rinat Akhmetov and Vadim Novinsky started using biofuel instead of natural gas.
Now it is used in the operation of a roasting machine for the production of iron ore pellets. Previously, about 95% of the natural gas consumed by the Central GOK was used at this production site.
According to the company, the implementation of the project allowed to reduce gas use in 2021 by 8.5 million cubic meters and reduce costs by UAH 43.5 million.
In order to reduce the use of energy resources, the specialists of the plant have been working since 2018 on a technology for replacing gas with solid biofuel - crushed sunflower husks.
“Replacing the use of natural gas with biofuels is another opportunity for the Central Combine to contribute to the economical and environmental use of energy. Currently, about 38% of natural gas is replaced by biofuel in the OK-324 roasting machine, and there are plans to increase the use to 45%,” said Dmitry Dyachenko, Engineering Director of the Central GOK.
Let us remind you that the OK-324 roasting machine was modernized last year to produce high-quality DRI pellets. During the modernization process, about 100 tons of refractory products were replaced.
