Florian Kek Archives | RHI Magnesita

Unlocking the Recycling Potential of Fine Refractory Breakout Materials

danielab — Mon, 10 Nov 2025 12:15:35 +0000

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Green Steel Initiatives Supported by CERO Waste Refractory Recycling, Circular Metallurgical Additives and Enhanced Slag Engineering

danielab — Mon, 10 Nov 2025 10:30:59 +0000

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Green Steel Initiatives Supported by Enhanced Slag Engineering Using High-Alumina Circular Metallurgical Additives

danielab — Wed, 11 Dec 2024 12:13:30 +0000

Desulphurisation in the steel ladle requires a reactive slag with high CaO dissolution. Conventional slag fluxing agents applied during this secondary metallurgical refining step include calcium aluminate additives and fluorspar to maximise the dissolved CaO. However, calcium aluminate additives can have a high carbon footprint due to their energy-intensive production process and the use of fluorspar is associated with both environmental concerns and refractory wear. Stahlwerk Thüringen (Germany) is committed to sustainability, with a green steel strategy that includes reducing resource use and implementing stepwise improvements in process efficiency. To support these initiatives, RHI Magnesita and MIRECO conducted an industrial feasibility study to determine if typical fluxes used during steel desulphurisation in the ladle could be replaced by a high-alumina circular metallurgical additive derived from recycled refractory material. This article describes the metallurgical consulting provided by RHI Magnesita during the trial series, as well as the e-tech slag engineering tools that were used for efficiency optimisation calculations and enabled an appropriate balance between desulphurisation rate, additive application, slag volume, and purging gas consumption to be determined. Furthermore, extensive steel and slag sampling was performed, and the chemical and mineralogical results enabled an in-depth evaluation of the metallurgical process during the sequential replacement of calcium aluminate and fluorspar with a cost-effective, low carbon footprint slag fluxing agent.

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Sustainable Slag Engineering in the Basic Oxygen Furnace Using Circular Metallurgical Additives and Modelling Tools

Stefan Romstorfer — Wed, 06 Dec 2023 15:49:56 +0000

As recycling has a significant impact on decarbonising the refractory industry, RHI Magnesita is pursuing various initiatives to increase reusing refractory products. This includes establishing MIRECO, the key partner for a circular supply chain. In general, reclaimed refractory material comprises two categories: Pieces that are >80 mm and a fine fraction, which accounts for ~40%. Although in the last years efficient practices have been developed to process the larger material and incorporate it into new refractory products, currently it is uneconomical to sort the fines. Therefore, approaches to sustainably utilise this material, which has historically been landfilled, are integral for the recycling strategy. This paper describes one of the most important ways to valorise this fine material in the steelmaking industry, namely as circular metallurgical additives. Since the carbon footprint of these additives can be <10% of commonly used slag formers, using this material contributes to a steel plant’s sustainability goals. To maximise the advantages of applying circular additives, RHI Magnesita can also provide metallurgical consulting and slag engineering tools. To illustrate these services, the article focuses on specific e-tech modelling tools available in the Customer Portal for basic oxygen furnace (BOF) slag optimisation, which are based on isothermal stability diagrams that combine MgO solubility at a specific basicity and temperature. A real case scenario is also provided to highlight the numerous benefits that can be achieved when circular metallurgical additives are applied in the BOF.

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