The Beaumont plant also might recycle mill scale and dezinced bag-house dust in the Tecnored furnace. Another advantage of Tecnored is that operators can adjust the furnace's output quickly, Hickl says. Output can increase from zero to 40 tons per hour in 30 minutes. Using petroleum coke Operators can use a wide variety of materials, including petroleum coke, coal, and semicoke, as the reductant and fuel source for the furnace. Tecnored's residence time is 30 minutes, compared with 4-6 hours at other shaft furnaces.
Petroleum coke is plentiful in the state.
There are tradeoffs in using petroleum coke instead of other carbon-bearing fuels. This coke also has a high iron-oxide content. Coal and coke contain less sulfur, but there's a higher level of gangue. Steelmakers can buy low-sulfur pet coke, but it's relatively expensive, Ramming says. The quality of pet coke can be inconsistent because it's a byproduct of petroleum production.