Waste Carbon From Steel Production Can Be Recycled Into New Products
Gases from steel processing can be used to make materials for products like insulation boards and wood coatings, concludes an EU-funded project.
The project team demonstrated that carbon monoxide (CO) and carbon dioxide (CO2) in blast furnace gas – a ‘process gas’ from steel production – can be recovered and used as the raw material for chemicals called polyols.
Polyols are used in polyurethane-based insulation materials and coatings and are typically derived from crude oil. Obtaining them from process gases therefore reduces the amount of crude oil that needs to be extracted and used, as well as reducing carbon emissions released to the atmosphere.