Metallurgical coke production with biomass additives. Part 1. A review of existing practices

An increase in steel production causes an increase in the use of carbon fuels and reducing agents, which in turn leads to greenhouse gas emissions. It is possible to reduce the environmental impact without compromising the quality of metallurgical products through the use of renewable carbon materials. In this paper, the applicability of biocoke production for various metallurgical processes has been considered. The fuels and reducing agents required in the main metallurgical industries are specified and the practice of adding biomass to a coal blend for coking is presented. The current biomass application to producing fuel and reducing agents in coal blends reveals their real potential for obtaining products of the required quality. The use of biomass as a component of coal blends is most effective when it is in a compressed or preliminary carbonised form. The outlined critical review is the base for conducting research on the production of biocoke using various biomass additives. The most promising sources for biocoke production are found to be biomass pellets.