The steel produced in the Fos-sur-Mer plant is produced in blast furnaces from iron ore and coal (in the form of coke and injection). The cast is then processed in a converter. In order to limit the consumption of iron ore and coke, whose use results significant CO₂ emissions, it is possible to incorporate used steel – or scrap – into the production process. The larger the scrap, the smaller the quantities of raw materials needed.

Currently, the Fos-sur-Mer site produces nearly 4 million tonnes of steel. Nearly 500,000 tonnes of scrap are now uses, including   400,000 tonnes from internal recycling at the plant and 100,000 tonnes purchased outside. The aim is to increase the part of scrap purchased outside to 400,000 tonnes per year (or 8,000 tonnes of scrap metal in total to produce the 4 Mt of steel). To achieve this, several steps are needed: 

1. Steel Recycling – Scrap Management

The increase in the share of scrap in the production process requires a total resizing of the means of receiving, processing, processing and injecting the scrap into our converters.

These new needs will be supplied by so-called “noble” scrap but also by low-quality scrap containing a greater proportion of residual elements (aluminum, copper, non-ferrous: wood, plastics, etc.). It is therefore necessary to review the site’s capacity to prepare / clean the scrap before charging.

This involves, in particular, the resizing of the means for feeding the scrap into the converters (the “augets”) and the setting up of means aimed at densifying the scrap (sorting, compacting, etc.).

2. Steel Recycling – Installing an electric oven (ladle furnace)

The transformation of cast iron into liquid steel is carried out in an oxygen converter. The first step is to charge liquid cast iron and the steel coming from recycling (cold). The converter will decarburize (oxygen blast) the cast iron and increase the temperature of the mixture and thus melt the scrap.

The temperature target depends on the production cycle up to continuous casting. Integrating an electric heating means, such as the “ladle furnace”, between converter and continuous casting increases the proportion of scrap iron loaded by targeting lower temperatures at the end of blowing.