Phosphorus: The Noose of Sustainability and Renewability in Steelmaking

With rising ore prices and the continued demand for higher quality steels, much work has been carried out into refining and control prospects of steel chemistry. As several technologies around the world are exploring the control of phosphorus with high priority, an overview of current knowledge, ongoing research, and specific interest areas is presented. The reliance of the basic oxygen furnace steelmaking on iron ore quality is considered with regard to impurity levels, as well as the phosphorus content of direct reduced iron introduction to the electric arc furnace process. This article reviews methods to control phosphorus in steelmaking and proposes a practical approach based on laboratory-scale equilibrium experiments. The article ends by exploring energy savings in steelmaking as well as speculating on further avenues of steel production profitability.