Making heavy industry more sustainable
We are surrounded by steel. From cars, ships and trains to buildings and products such as batteries and refrigerators. It is hard to imagine life without this material. While steel underpins our daily lives, it also poses a serious challenge. The entire steel production chain, from the extraction of raw materials to the manufacture of steel products, emits large amounts of CO2. The question is: how can we make steel without further damaging our planet? This is where Iv comes in. Iv offers support to producers throughout the entire chain to make their future production greener and more sustainable. Moreover, Iv is helping to accelerate this necessary transition.
Significant amounts of CO₂ are emitted throughout the chain within the heavy industry sector, mainly because traditional parts of heavy industry, such as the steel production process, use a Blast Furnace coupled with a Basic Oxygen Furnace, which emits large amounts of CO₂ and other emissions and is very energy intensive. Stricter EU emission targets and ever-increasing customer demands are forcing steel producers to adapt their processes on a large scale. Yet at the same time, they must also guarantee quality. This applies to steel producers and the entire heavy industry chain. These are significant challenges because the new processes are not yet capable of producing the quality and quantities that the existing processes have achieved. The industry is having to invest a lot of money and time in advanced technologies to meet legislation and societal expectations. The biggest challenge? Meeting the new emission requirements, such as reducing CO₂ emissions, without compromising quality and production volumes.
Rick de Jong, director of Heavy Industries at Iv, explains: “Steel itself is a very sustainable product because it is 100% and infinitely recyclable. It can be used again and again while retaining its properties, original quality, and strength. Steel is, therefore, one of the most widely used materials in the world due to its versatility and relatively low cost. But the problem lies in the production process. Iron ore is mined from the ground and converted into liquid iron in a Blast Furnace. During this process, iron ore, coke, and limestone are combined with oxygen, emitting large amounts of CO₂. In addition, the unique properties of steel make it difficult to replace on a one-to-one basis with alternative materials. Steel is extremely strong and versatile, making it a material for countless applications, which means that even if alternative materials were used, much larger quantities of the substitute material would be needed to achieve the same properties, which may not necessarily reduce the environmental impact. It is therefore imperative to find new and sustainable ways of producing steel that have less impact on the environment and retain the unique properties of steel.”
It is clear: heavy industry needs to become more sustainable and greener. Iv plays a key role in today’s quest for this higher level of sustainability. How? Iv offers heavy industry support to accelerate its sustainability and greening journey. Rick: “Our approach is twofold. We need to adjust the existing process now to deliver immediate results while focusing on the near future. Despite having already made the industry greener in certain areas, the problem continues to grow as people consume three times as much as they did fifty years ago.”
Iv’s strength lies in its knowledge and experience of process optimisation. “We fully understand how it works in practice and where it needs to go. On paper, processes always seem to be perfectly designed and working, but in reality, it can often take years before everything is properly aligned and the desired results are delivered. We have served the steel industry since our founding 75 years ago (1949). Our practical knowledge and experience, combined with a pragmatic approach, helps our clients to optimise their processes effectively.” Iv’s experience spans not only the steel industry but also other sectors, such as manufacturing and energy. Despite the differences between these sectors, the approach to sustainability is often similar. Such knowledge enables us to offer customised solutions that make current processes more sustainable and integrate future innovations.
Steel production involves several steps to first make iron and then steel from iron ore. The steel produced is often further processed into beams and coils for the next stage of production. Besides steel production, there is much to be done both upstream and downstream in the process. Iv has experience in all parts of this chain.
Making heavy industry more sustainable starts at the bottom: the extraction of raw materials, a process which is often environmentally damaging. Many harmful emissions are released during the extraction of raw materials in mines and during storage and handling. In recent years, a lot of time and energy has been spent on improving this step, and we are leading the way in Europe. “In the future, coal will gradually give way to hydrogen. This will help to reduce CO₂ emissions significantly”, says Rick. In this process transition, new installations such as a Direct Reduced Iron (DRI) plant linked to an Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) will initially run on gas and electricity generated from wind power. Once these processes work well, the second stage will be moving to hydrogen. Iv has unique experience in DRI production in the form of HBI (Hot Briquetted Iron) and everything that goes with it. A DRI plant is in operation in Texas, for which Iv has optimised both the primary production process and the secondary process, such as screening, storage and handling.
In the context of sustainability, Iv is also engaged in the reuse of steel. Reuse, remanufacturing, and recycling will become increasingly important in the future. Following the so-called use phase of steel products, such as refrigerators, the steel is collected and prepared for reuse. This process involves the removal of zinc, paint coatings and other materials before the steel can be reprocessed. As early as 1999, Iv was already playing a pivotal role in the removal of zinc from steel that was released as a residual and waste material during the stamping of vehicle body parts in the automotive industry.
In short, whether it is about optimising production processes or improving the logistical periphery around installations and raw materials: “We help design factories so that raw materials can be delivered efficiently and without emissions, reducing the need for transport. This reduces energy consumption and pollution, which directly contributes to a cleaner world”, says Rick.
The world of materials, technologies and production methods has changed rapidly in recent years; a hundred years ago, there were no plastics, carbon fibres or 3D printable materials. What seemed impossible then is now a reality, with no end in sight. And this progress is only accelerating. Rick talks about the future possibilities: “There are already plans to source materials from other planets. Although this may seem a long way off, we could be heading in that direction in 20 to 30 years.” There are also opportunities closer to home. In Scandinavia (Sweden), for example, there are still large amounts of untapped raw materials and opportunities to continue the industry in a sustainable and green way in the future.
“What I think is important is not just that we make all these changes for ourselves or our children, but that we do it for our children’s children and beyond. If we don’t act now, we will really feel the impact of our decisions in the future. It’s not just about today or tomorrow; it’s about the world we leave behind.”
While we recognise the need for sustainable change, much remains to be done. Achieving and sustaining this transition requires more than just a change of attitude. Closing factories is not the answer; we need to invest in making them more sustainable. This means implementing technical innovations, developing new materials, and daring to change existing processes. “It is essential that we put our shoulders to the wheel and invest in sustainable solutions. We have to make sure that we transform the industry into a sustainable and future-proof green industry, without losing momentum”, Rick emphasises.
Rick is optimistic about the future: “I believe that in the long term, we can even overtake our sustainability goals and make positive adjustments, but we’re not there yet. It may seem like a long way off, but I am convinced that today’s mindset, that we need to change, will act like a flywheel. Goals are like dots on the horizon, pointing us in the right direction. But as we move in that direction, we need to make more and more progress.”
Rick also emphasises the importance of collaboration: “Projects are becoming so large and complex that they can no longer be tackled by one company alone, including Iv. That is why I believe in strong cooperation between companies. Together, we can meet the challenges better than alone. I am a big advocate of working in a design and construction team. This is essential to tackle both major challenges and high-risk projects effectively. At Iv, we do the initial work, the design, but after that, manufacturing, installation, operation, and maintenance come into play. These are all critical phases that need to be represented and for which design criteria need to be properly defined and considered. By working together in a design and construction team, we can create and deliver much bigger and smarter solutions than we could ever do alone. Together, we ensure that everything we develop really does come to life.”
Rick, managing director Heavy Industry, would be delighted to discuss this with you! Get in touch via +31 88 943 3000 or send a message.
