REDUCTION OF WATER CONSUMPTION FROM ITS RECIRCULATION IN A BLAST FURNACE

Abstract

The steel industry uses high water consumption for the cooling of blast furnaces. Often the input can be reused, but it is discarded causing great environmental impact. Thus, the present research aims to present an alternative to reduce the consumption of water used in the steel industry, through the methodology known as recirculation in a blast furnace. As a methodology, a qualitative/quantitative research approach was used, of an applied nature, descriptive as to the objectives, developed through a case study carried out in a blast furnace of a steel industry located in the central region of the state of Minas Gerais. As a result, the work achieved savings of 95% of the water used in the process, which corresponds to about 200,000 m3/day. It is concluded that the minimization of water consumption has environmental and economic advantages, being an indispensable tool for the promotion of environmental sustainability within a steel industry.