Abstract:
Iron and steel are one of the fossil-dependent industries hardest to decarbonize due to its energy-intensive and large-volume production characteristics. This sector is responsible for 7-9% of the total CO2 emitted worldwide, which corresponds to around 30% of the CO2 emissions of the entire industrial sector. Therefore, increasing the use of renewable energy sources, replacing fossil carbon with carbon from biomass, is a promising alternative. Countries with vast production of agroforestry residues, such as Brazil, have strategic and competitive advantages for establishing a low-carbon steel industry, driven by the use of biomass. However, raw biomass is characteristically heterogeneous, with high moisture content, low calorific value and low grindability. In order to reduce these characteristics, thermochemical conversion of biomass is a viable alternative. Tecnored carbonization plant was developed to carry out a process of slow pyrolysis of biomasses residues that allows the sustainable and optimized use of the products generated during the thermochemical conversion of the material, combined, mainly, with a concept of low carbon production, high productivity, and quality of its products. The biocarbon produced in Tecnored technology can be applied as a replacement the fossil carbon source, in the processes of briquetting, coking, sintering, PCI injection, pelletizing, among others.