Drastic Reduction of the Non-Recoverable Loss of Aluminum and Electric Energy Through Development of Agile Technology for Production of Ferroaluminum for Steel Deoxidation

The steel-making industry uses aluminum for deoxidation, an operation in which excess oxygen is removed from molten steel to ensure a defect-free high-quality metal. However, in this process, up to 120,000 tons of aluminum is permanently lost, approximately 4.6% of total annual aluminum production in the U.S. Because aluminum is an extremely energy-intensive commodity to produce, a reduction in this non-recoverable loss would provide significant energy savings. This project will develop technology for the economical and environment-friendly manufacture of ferroaluminum (aluminum joined with iron) so that ferroaluminum could replace aluminum in steel deoxidation. Being denser than aluminum, ferroaluminum will submerge deeper into the molten steel during the steel dexoidation process, and less material will float to the melt surface. It is at this melt surface where most of the aluminum becomes trapped in the steel slag covering the molten steel and is subsequently lost. Because the density of ferroaluminum is twice the density of aluminum, the losses of aluminum could be cut in half. Commercial Applications and other Benefits as described by the awardee:The application of this technology could cut aluminum losses from steel deoxidation by a factor of two, thereby saving more than 1 billion kWh ($92 million) of electric energy and 60,000 tons of aluminum (worth $108 million) each year.