ArcelorMittal Ostrava Cuts Annual Solid Emissions by 40%
04/05/2012 - ArcelorMittal Ostrava cut its emissions of solid pollutants by 40% over the past year, releasing 669 tonnes of dust particles into the air in 2011. A program of environmental investments worth close to three quarters of a billion Czech crowns was started this year that will cut sulfur dioxide emissions from its coking and steel plants.
ArcelorMittal Ostrava cut its emissions of solid pollutants by 40% over the course of last year. In 2011, the company released 669 tonnes of dust particles into the air—the first time it has been below 1000 tons per year.
When ArcelorMittal Ostrava bought into Nová huť in 2003, the plant produced more than 2000 tonnes of dust emissions a year. Since then, ArcelorMittal Ostrava has invested CZK 3.7 billion in environmental projects. A program of environmental investments worth close to three quarters of a billion Czech crowns was started this year that, in the next two years, will lead to cutting sulfur dioxide emissions from its coking and steel plants.
“All our operations comply with the applicable regulations and even the stricter limits imposed by the integrated permits from regional authorities. Most production sites are even below the BAT (Best Available Technology) values; the limits will start to apply in the European Union in 2016 at the earliest,” said Petr Baranek, Chief Green Officer, ArcelorMittal Ostrava.
The company says that regular environmental investment measures and voluntary commitment allow it to meet the goals of the Moravian-Silesian Region Action Plan 2009-2011 in all its plants.
“We are also compliant with the emission targets recommended by a study published by the Health Institute in Ostrava in 2007, and with emission limits set out by an expert study released by the VŠB-Technical University Ostrava in June 2011. These papers are our guidance in doing our part to keep the air quality in the region within the acceptable range,” said Baranek.
The coking plant desulphurization, costing CZK 211 million, will cut the hydrogen sulfide in the clean coking gas from 500 mg/m3 down to 300 mg/m3. The desulphurization of the boiler plant (boilers K8-K10), costing CZK 532 million, will cut SO2 emissions from 1700 mg/Nm3 down to 200 mg/Nm3, and cut dust emissions from 50 mg/Nm3 to 30 mg/Nm3.
