Metal

Ihobe Eusko Jaurlaritza
SIDENOR

SYSTEMATIC AND INTEGRATED RECOVERY OF REFRACTORY WASTE USING THE "5R" ENVIRONMENTAL MODEL

Refractory or heat-resistant materials are used to protect equipment in industries working at high temperatures (e.g. steel, glass and cement production). Refractories are made from a wide range of mineral compounds, such as aluminosilicates, magnesite, dolomite, chromite, zirconia, carbides, nitrides and oxides. The recycling of refractory materials is complex due to differences in composition depending on their application. Furthermore, it is common to use more than one type of refractory in the lining of furnaces or other equipment, and even in the refractory parts themselves, which further complicates their recycling. Some refractories - for example, those containing zirconia and other more specialised materials - were not considered recoverable prior to this project and were therefore disposed of in landfills.

The availability of refractories is essential for steel production in the EU. The EU produces 177 million tonnes of steel per year (11% of world production), making it the world's second largest steel producer after China. The EU refractory industry has an annual turnover of around €4 billion, but is dependent on the availability of raw materials, which may be affected by strict conditions imposed by exporting countries, such as China. Refractory waste is one of the priority streams in the Basque Waste Prevention and Management Plan 2030.

COLLABORATORS

LIFE 5RefrACT is a project led by SIDENOR with the participation of 5 other entities. The project has applied the 5R environmental model (Reduce-Reuse-Remanufacture-Recycle-Reduce) to the iron and steel sector and the refractory market, mainly in the Basque Country. A series of reuse and remanufacturing practices have been validated and routinely integrated into the operating procedures at the SIDENOR plant in Basauri. A recovery rate of 74% has been achieved, reducing refractory waste disposal by 1,848 tonnes per year. A sorting algorithm has also been developed for the use of LIBS technology in the detection and segregation of refractory waste. The algorithm achieved a 75% success rate in a blind sample test. The results were shared with several recovery firms and future actions are currently being studied. A life cycle analysis quantified the reduction of CO2 emissions of around 3,900 tonnes, as well as the reduction of energy consumption, thanks to the actions developed within the framework of this project.

Furthermore, several batches of a range of recycled refractory products incorporating between 30% and 70% refractory waste have been designed, developed and industrially tested. In this way, several magnesia-based and alumina-based products with different market prospects have been technically validated. In both cases, the transition of the regulatory framework is key to the successful implementation of these products, as well as harmonising the interpretation of legal measures at a European level.

IHOBE has contributed to the LIFE 5RefrACT project supporting the inclusion of these solutions by classifying them as emerging techniques in the BREF documents (European reference documents on best available techniques) on steel production, for which the project has already initiated contacts with stakeholders. It has also supported actions related to the communication and promotion of the project. The introduction of stricter regional regulations and use of the new products in other sectors are other areas where work has also been carried out.

Project website

The design of the LIFE RefrACT project has been supported technically and financially by IHOBE within the framework of the "ECOINNOVATION PROJECT FACTORY" initiative. LIFE 5RefrACT has been funded by the European LIFE programme (ENV/ES/000228.).