Preservation of the environment and population health belongs to the key issues of global community. Nowadays business success is impossible without considering its environmental aspect. This broad concept does not only include impact on the natural and human environment, but also production safety and efficiency issues.
Along with productivity enhancement matters, environmental, production safety and health issues have been and remain priority concerns of «Azovstal». In order to achieve leading positions in environmental impact decreasing and production security upgrading, advanced technologies are being implemented in the works aimed at environmentally friendly and safe operation of the enterprise.
Following the way of development and technical upgrade strategy, the works has achieved significant success in technological environmental impact decrease. The main projects implementation of which has provided the maximum environmental effect are as follows:
- Shutdown of BF No. 1 (emission reduction by 2200 tons per year);
- Reconstruction of BF No. 2 with equipping of casting yard and skip pit aspiration system, gaseous combustion and carbon oxide after-burner automatic regulation system (atmospheric emission abatement by 785 tons per year);
- Commissioning of coke batteries No. 3 and No.4 equipped with dust free coke pushing system along with shutdown of old coke battery No.8 (atmospheric emission abatement by 300 tons per year);
- Shutdown of OHF steelmaking and complete removal of open-hearth furnaces (emission reduction by 4087 tons per year, abatement of waste water disposal in the Kalmius River by 30 million m3 per year);
- Capital repairs of aspiration unit at slag skimming department of BOF Shop (dust emission abatement by 50 tons per year);
- Construction of red fume suppression system by nitrogen at casting yard of BF No. 5 and capital repairs of red fume suppression system by nitrogen at casting yard of BF No. 3 (abatement of red fume fugitive emissions by 50%).
An integrated upgrading and revamping program for Metinvest Group enterprises covers widespread environmental effect of iron and steel companies, including atmospheric impact, water resources, industrial production waste and foresees equipping of all steelmaking facilities with up-to-date pollution control equipment. However, environmental investments usually make ca. 22% of the total volume of upgrading investments. For instance, "AZOVSTAL IRON & STEEL WORKS" invested over 150 million UAH in the implementation of activities in 2011. The expenses for capital and current repairs of environmental protection equipment were over 21 million UAH as well.
Key events of 2012-2013:
- Shutdown and demolition of coke batteries No. 5, No. 6 and No. 7, as a result of which emission abatement made 6200 tons per year.
- Shutdown of Sinter Plant, as a result of which emission abatement made 32878 tons per year and waste water disposal in the Sea of Azov reduced by 4 million m3 per year.
In cooperation with city authorities, social environmental organizations of the city and scientists of Priazovsky state technical university, the works takes an active part in Mariupol ecological program 2012-2020 development. Among the most significant activities developed and proposed by the works to be included into the program, one can mention the following ones:
- reconstruction of the existing BOF gas cleaning systems with purification effect increase and their equipping with carbon oxide afterburning system (total emission abatement by 19800 tons per year);
- reconstruction of Desulfurization Shop with reduction of coke-oven gas purification rate up to 0,5 g/nm3 (sulfur-dioxide emission abatement by 300 tons per year);
- capital repairs of casting yard aspiration system with ESP replacement (dust emission abatement by 340 tons per year);
- construction of fine sludge collection facilities at waste-disposal plants with recycling systems at BOF gas cleaners (suspended solids emission abatement by 600 tons per year);
- introduction of dry BFG cleaning systems at the blast furnaces (suspended solids emission abatement by 300 tons per year);
- modernization of dust collection units at BOF process equipment (dust emission abatement by 660 tons per year).
In the aftermath of activities implementation pursuant to the technological strategy of Metinvest Group until 2020, if steel production volumes increase by 35%, total emissions decrease will be 25% and waste water disposal reduction will be 15%.