January 18, 2006
NTN Develops "EAF Dust Briquetter"
NTN Corporation has developed a EAF(Electric Arc Furnace) Dust Briquetter jointly with Daiwa Steel Corporation. The system solidifies EAF dust into cylindrical briquettes for re-processing in an electric furnace.
NTN has long been actively committed to reducing environmental load. It has previously developed a Grinding Swarf Briquetter, which enables recycling of grinding swarf produced in the bearing manufacturing process. This system has won acclaim in the market, and has been selling well.
Every year, 500,000 tons of EAF dust is yielded as a byproduct from electric furnaces in Japan, Until now, methods for dealing with EAF dust have included disposal into landfills as industrial waste, use in road pavement, or mixing with binder (solidifying materials) for re-processing in electric furnaces. Additionally, small pellets are sometimes smashed up in pieces, creating issues in the working environment. Due to these problems with environmental impact and the need to reduce waste-processing costs, there is high demand for a method to recycle EAF dust that is environmentally friendly and inexpensive.
NTN has responded to this demand by combining Daiwa Steel Corporation's pelletization technology (pelletized EAF dust pre-mixed with carbon) with NTN's proprietary solidification technology to achieve high processing capacity and binder-free briquetters.
[Equipment Features and Technology]
- Developed technologies
- EAF dust (the raw material) premixed with appropriate quantities of carbon and water is pelletized to ensure stable and strong briquettes.
- Just before solidification, the appropriate amount of water is added to the formed pellets, ensuring perfect solidification.
- Processing capacity: 800 tons/month per unit (modification possible on request)
- The solidified briquettes are 150 mm (diam.) × 120 mm (H), and weight 6.5 kg
- Solidification reduces the volume of the dust by 50%, facilitating handling
- Dimensions and weight: 3,600 × 5,550 × 4,300 mm (W×D×H); Weight is approx. 15 tons
[Benefits of Introducing System]
- No EAF dust becomes industrial waste <helps achieve Zero Emissions - totally eliminating landfill waste>
- Reduces costs by eliminating the need for binder (required with conventional methods)
- This is the first binder-free solidification process in the industry!
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