Optimizing Combustion Efficiency in Blast Furnace Injection: A Sustainable Approach Using Biomass Char and Coal Mixtures

Abstract

This study investigated the combustion characteristics of mixed straw char and coal powder when used in blast furnace injection. The experiments examined the effects of mixing ratios between biomass char types of wheat straw char, corn straw char as well as cotton straw char, and anthracite coal on combustion characteristics and the injection effect of blast furnace. The results show that a 1:1 mixing ratio of wheat straw char and anthracite coal yields the best combustion characteristics, followed by a 1:1 ratio of corn straw char and anthracite coal. A 2:1 mixture of cotton straw char and anthracite coal exhibits the highest combustion efficiency. The study on the grindability of the mixtures indicates that straw char is easier to grind due to its brittleness. Blast furnace coal injection experiments reveal that a 50:50 mixture of cotton straw char and anthracite coal achieves the highest combustion efficiency at 74%, which is a 20.2% improvement compared to mixtures of bituminous coal and anthracite coal, significantly outperforming the other ratios. The findings underscore the importance of integrating renewable biomass resources in industrial applications to enhance sustainability in the metallurgical industry.