FINEX® as an environmentally sustainable ironmaking process

FINEX (R) is an alternative ironmaking process to the blast furnace route. As the core facilities in Pohang Steel Works, two commercial FINEX (R) plants have already produced over 25 million tons of hot metal. For more than 10 years of operation and continual improvements, including an energy recovery system, binders for coal briquettes as well as the steel grid system in FBR (Fluidized-Bed Reactor), such a substantial improvement have been achieved on the overall cost and environmental footprint. The potential for large-scale CO2 removal system working as carbon capture and utilization in the process further enhances the environmental potential of the process. In this paper, the brief history and overall process of the FINEX (R) were introduced especially focusing on the key technologies.