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ArcelorMittal to reduce production in Europe
Written by Global Slag staff
29 May 2019
Luxembourg: ArcelorMittal plans to reduce its European steel production levels due to weak market demand and high import levels. It will reduce primary steelmaking production at its facilities in Dunkirk, France and Eisenhüttenstadt, Germany. Reduce primary steelmaking production at its facility in Bremen, Germany in the fourth quarter of 2019, where a planned blast furnace stoppage for repair works will be extended. It will extend the stoppage planned in the fourth quarter of 2019 to repair a blast furnace at its plant in Asturias, Spain.
“This is again a hard decision for us to have taken but given the level of weakness in the market, we feel it is the prudent course of action. This will be a temporary measure that will be reversed when market conditions improve. In the meantime, our employees remain our utmost priority and we are doing everything we can to ensure that the right social measures are in place to support them and their families during this difficult time,” said Geert van Poelvoorde, the chief executive officer (CEO) of ArcelorMittal Europe – Flat Products.
In early May 2019 ArcelorMittal announced its intention to temporarily idle production at its steelmaking facilities in Kraków, Poland and reduce production in Asturias, Spain. The announcement also impacted the planned increase of shipments at ArcelorMittal Italia to a 6Mt/yr run-rate. The planned increase will be slowed down following a decision to optimise cost and quality over volume in the current market environment.
Capital Concrete supplies Cemfree to London
Written by Global Slag staff
29 May 2019
UK: Ready-mix concrete (RMX) supplier Capital Concrete has dedicated two 60t silos at its London plants to supply Cemfree, a low carbon concrete made using ground blast furnace slag (GGBS) made by DB Group. It is the only RMX supplier in London supplying the product in this way.
“We’ve seen customer interest pick up recently, interest which is clearly linked to the growing importance of environmental considerations in construction build designs. Capital Concrete is now a leading supplier of Cemfree in the London area and we’re able to supply high volumes of this product anywhere in the London market,” said Luke Smith, the managing director of Capital Concrete.
Vallejo Marine Terminal drops appeal against planning block in California
Written by Global Slag staff
28 May 2019
US: Vallejo Marine Terminal (VMT) has decided not to appeal against the Vallejo City Council’s decision in 2017 to deny it planning permission to build a marine terminal. VMT and Orcem Americas were planning to build a marine terminal and a slag cement grinding plant, according to the Vallejo Times Herald newspaper in Vallejo, California. Orcem Americas have not commented on the situation but the lack of an import terminal may make building a cement plant unviable, although the site does have rail and road links.
Indonesian government prepares to allow nickel and copper slag for building material production
Written by Global Slag staff
28 May 2019
Indonesia: Fajar Harry Sampurno, the State-Owned Enterprises (SOE) Ministry's undersecretary for mining, strategic industries and media affairs, says that the Environment and Forestry Ministry will issue rules stating that mineral waste such as slags resulting from processing nickel and copper ores could be used as raw material for the production of bricks, asphalt, concrete and cement. Mineral waste including copper and nickel slags are currently categorised as hazardous and toxic waste (B3), requiring special handling, according to the Jakarta Post newspaper.
Harjanto, the Industry Ministry's metal, machinery, transportation equipment and electronic industries director general, said the volume of nickel slag, which at present totals 20Mt/yr, would increase ‘sharply’ within the next few years when new mineral smelters currently under construction start operating. The government expects the construction of 31 smelters to be completed by 2021. At the end of 2018 27 smelters were operating, of which 17 are nickel smelters.
Erdemir Group orders slag granulation systems from Paul Wurth
Written by Global Slag staff
24 May 2019
Turkey: Erdemir Group has ordered new INBA slag granulations systems as part of an order for two new blast furnaces (BF) from Luxembourg’s Paul Wurth for its Ereğli and Iskenderun integrated steel plants. At both sites a new furnace will replace an older production unit. The new blast furnaces are scheduled for blow-in in March 2021 and May 2021 respectively. No value for the order has been disclosed.
At Ereğli Erdemir’s new BF2 will have a hearth diameter of 10m, 24 tuyeres and two tapholes. It will produce 5000t/day of hot metal from an inner volume of 2188m3. At Isdemir the new BF1 will be sized at 12.5m in the hearth and 3587m3 of inner volume; it will be fitted with 32 tuyeres and four tapholes and will produce 7900t/day, which further increases the hot metal capacity at this site.
Paul Wurth will execute both projects on an EP basis including the supply of technological key items and related supervision of erection and commissioning. The orders include basic engineering of the blast furnaces with profile, cooling and lining concepts as well as the design of the stockhouses, top gas cleaning plants, slag granulation plants and BF cooling units.
For both furnaces, Paul Wurth will supply Bell Less Top charging systems and bleeder valves, refractories for the hot blast mains and bustle pipes, tuyere stocks with tuyere phenomena detection system (TPDS), technological and critical items for the top gas cleaning plants (consisting of axial cyclones, annular gap scrubbers) as well as for in total three INBA slag granulations systems. Extensive sets of TMT probes and process recorders include, inter alia, 3D TopScanburden surface profile meters and SOMA acoustic top gas temperature measurement. Under the same contracts, TMT will also supply fully hydraulic taphole machinery for equipping all the six tapholes in total.