Carbon is a necessary reductant in steel production to convert iron ore to metallic iron. The use of coal and coke causes CO2 emissions to be released into the environment. Using bio-based carbon sources has the potential to offset these emissions and reduce cokemaking overall carbon footprint. The use of biomaterial in coal blends reduces the fossil fuel requirements but to what capacity and type of biocarbon can replace coal is unknown. The full effects of coal and coke characterization from the addition of biomaterial are unknown. In this work, raw biomaterials available to industrial users were evaluated for substitution at low amounts in operational coal blends. Physically, the optical properties of carbon coke forms can provide insight into the strength, reactivity, and performance in the blast furnace, resulting from coal rank and type. The interaction of the biomaterial substitutions with coal during the coking process is evaluated to better understand the reduction in coke strength after reaction (CSR). For this purpose, a series of the pilot oven and sole heated oven tests were performed. When coal was substituted with low amounts of raw biomaterials, the most notable changes in coke texture analysis were to incipient and circular textures. In this work, data from a series of pilot oven and sole heated oven tests showed that fine coke textures and overall inerts increased. The changes in coke textures can be linked to decreases in coke strength after reaction (CSR). / Thesis / Master of Applied Science (MASc) / Metallurgical coke remains the main fuel and reductant source for ironmaking by blast furnace operation. Quality metallurgical coal, a fossil fuel, is required to produce coke. This work continues ongoing steel industry research investigating biomaterial substitution of coal as a more sustainable option. Coal is considered a new release of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions when used in the steelmaking process compared to a biomaterial which is regarded as a GHG neutral replacement. Three raw biomaterials, available to industrial users, were evaluated for substitution at low amounts and compared to an operational coal blend. The substitution could allow for GHG emissions of the cokemaking processes to be reduced if quality coke can be produced. The interaction of the biomaterial substitutions with coal during the coking process is evaluated in this work to better understand the resultant coke textures related to reduction in coke strength from the substitution.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:mcmaster.ca/oai:macsphere.mcmaster.ca:11375/26417 |
| Date | January 2021 |
| Creators | Armstrong, Nancy |
| Contributors | Dogan, Neslihan, Materials Science and Engineering |
| Source Sets | McMaster University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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