MT Magazine September/October 2023

FEATURE STORY

16

"HOW STEEL IS GOING GREEN" CONTINUED

Key Points Fundamental to lean are the seven major wastes identified by Taiichi Ohno, the father of lean. Not only can eliminating waste cut costs and improve quality, they also have ramifications that can help achieve green(er) operations. 1. Overproduction. This not only means excess product to the end customer but is also detrimental to the next step in the production operation. Making too many things is a waste of material and energy. 2. Waiting. During production operations, if there is a bottleneck causing subsequent operations to wait, odds are the machinery in the shop is still running but not adding value to parts. The energy wasted can be significant. 3. Conveyance. It is important to reduce the distance between operations within a facility, which saves both time and energy. Similarly, not only do supplier parks and reshoring help boost efficiency, but they reduce energy expended in transportation (which can result in emissions reduction). 4. Processing. Understanding what the end customer is willing to pay for can result in products that meet those requirements. Analyzing the operations performed in the context of customer requirements (as well as engineering issues) may lead to the elimination of steps, which reduces material and energy requirements. 5. Inventory. Ideally, no more inventory is on hand than is required to keep production flowing. Although the pandemic has changed what is considered necessary, excess inventories not only mean there are materials used and energy expended on components that may – or may not – be used, but the warehousing space can be a driver of waste (because it needs to be lighted and heated, for example). 6. Motion. This is primarily an issue at the operator level. The operator does things that can result in physical strain or which are a waste of time, such as searching for tooling. Ergonomics and 5S principles (sort, set in order, shine, standardize, sustain) are simply good business practices that, when deployed, can minimize operational waste, like repetitive stress injuries to operators who subsequently need to be temporarily replaced (getting that person is important, but it doesn’t add value). 7. Correction. Doing it again or scrapping it: clearly wastes of time, effort, and energy. Addressing these wastes can be hugely beneficial to operations – and can actually result in doing less. What’s more, by paying close attention to where waste might be found, you may naturally discover areas where environmental effectiveness can be achieved.

There is a containment vessel that includes an inert anode. That anode is immersed in an electrolyte that contains iron ore. Electricity (ideally produced from sustainable sources) is applied to the anode, and iron ore is added to the vessel. Kelly says, “We can use all grades of iron ore, not just the premium grades needed by other processes.” The anode heats the material to 1,600 degrees Celsius, at which point the electrons split the iron ore so there is molten iron, which falls to the bottom of the vessel from which it is removed, and the oxygen is vented from the top. Chemically: No carbon. Kelly says the process has been validated at lab scale and they are in pilot for the inert anode to operate at production levels. Realize there is not only the tremendous heat the anode must withstand but a corrosive environment in that vat, given the oxygen. What’s more, that anode has to last for an extended period of time. Consequently, there is significant metallurgy going on at Boston Metal to produce that anode. Fe 2 O 3 + eˉ = Fe + O 2

Inside Boston Metal: molten oxide electrolysis for the production of iron without carbon emissions. (Image: Boston Metal)

Asked whether the traditional steelmakers have any interest in what they’re doing, Kelly points out that leading global steel company ArcelorMittal is an investor in the company. As is BMW, so there is an interested user of the end product. Soon, it seems, the bar stock or sheet being processed in manufacturing operations may be a whole lot greener than it historically has been.

If you have any questions about this information, please contact Gary at vasilash@gmail.com.