Sinter plant reconstruction is nearly finished at Metinvest Group’s Ilyich Iron and steelworks of Mariupol, which is among the largest environmental tasks ever undertaken in Ukraine. Final adjustments are being made to the equipment at the mill’s sinter plant that includes software installation and dedusting testing by onsite consultants.
Metinvest continued with its main conservation project, despite COVID-19, including the formation of a new two-phase gas cleaning system inside the sintering area that contains 12 sinter mechanisms at the Ilyich mill.
The Metinvest Group signed a contract with the Italian industrial equipment manufacturer, Termokimik, to take on the engineering work needed for the sinter plant upgrades. Total project investments will cost around $220mn. Metinvest invested more than $150mn in the project, its press release said.
In cleaning, which is the first phase, coarse dust is removed before the gas is further freed of dust and sulfur combinations in special filters, which provide over 10 times the amount of reduced dust emissions. The software installation was originally scheduled for Q1 of this year however the pandemic led to mandated stoppages by March.
Taras Shevchenko, the general director of Ilyich Iron and Steel Works of Mariupol, said environmental improvements of the company’s sinter plant began over seven years ago. Subsequently, a new, more proficient dedusting facility was designed and implemented. As soon as it is slowly commissioned, the plant will be able to cut dust and sulfur emissions considerably, Shevchenko also highlighted.
Ilyich works are among the largest integrated steel producers in Ukraine and joined Metinvest in 2010. The facility covers chemical and metallurgical production and also has a sinter complex, five blast furnaces, slag processing, steelmaking, and rolling facilities.