Metalloinvest commissions dust cleaning system at OEMK steel plant

Russian steelmaker Metalloinvest has commissioned a new dust and gas cleaning system at the charge feed section of the electric steelmaking shop at its A.A. Ugarov Oskol Electric Steel Works (OEMK).

The company invested around USD 1.8 mln in the project. The new Russian-made system can purify 40,000 cubic metres of air per hour, double the capacity of the previous equipment.

The installation has also improved air purification performance, reducing dust content in purified air from 70 mg to 10 mg per cubic metre, Metalloinvest said.

The system is equipped with automatic sensors that monitor dust levels in storage bins and transmit information to the operator in real time. It also uses nitrogen to prevent dust oxidation and reduce the risk of spontaneous combustion.

The project forms part of Metalloinvest's efforts to reduce the environmental impact of its steelmaking operations and improve working conditions at the plant.

Metalloinvest is a major global metals and mining company and the largest iron ore producer in Russia and the CIS. The vertically integrated group operates iron ore mining, pelletizing, HBI/DRI and steelmaking facilities, with annual production of about 36 mln tons of iron ore, 23 mln tons of pellets, 7.8 mln tons of HBI/DRI and 3.5 mln tons of crude steel.