Steel Industry Uses EAF Technology to Cut Carbon Emissions

Electric Arc Furnace technology is giving steelmakers a way to bring discarded metal back into production while meeting demand from construction and infrastructure projects. The process melts selected recycled steel scrap with electricity, then refines it before shaping the material into products that meet required specifications and standards.

The approach allows steel that has reached the end of its useful life to re-enter the manufacturing cycle. Scrap reduces the need for primary raw materials and limits the amount of material sent to waste. That makes EAF production one example of a circular economy, in which materials are collected, recycled and processed into new products.

The furnace uses electrodes to melt the scrap at temperatures that can reach about 1,600 degrees Celsius. Because recycled material may contain different elements and impurities, producers control the steel’s chemical composition through refining before adjusting it to the requirements of the final product.

Technology alone does not determine the emissions profile. The source of the electricity, production efficiency, management of raw materials and waste, and transportation also affect the overall environmental impact.

PT Garuda Yamato Steel operates an EAF facility in Cikarang, Bekasi Regency, West Java. It produces hot-rolled structural sections, including H beams, IWF or WF beams, channels and equal angles, for buildings, warehouses, bridges, industrial facilities and other infrastructure. The company says several of its products have a domestic component level above 90 percent. President Director Tony Taniwan said innovation and sustainability are among the company’s production priorities.

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Innovation and sustainability are among the aspects the company considers in its production activities.