Electricity consumption for smelting breaks through the 3,000 mark; QFF process innovation achieves remarkable results at Indonesia's Morowali Industrial Park

In June, the actual smelting electricity consumption per mt and the 50-base smelting electricity consumption per mt for high-carbon ferrochrome production at PT Qingfeng Ferrochrome Indonesia (QFF) in the Morowali Industrial Park, Indonesia, both dropped below 3000 kwh/t for the first time, changing from the "3000s" to the "2000s". This marked a significant technological breakthrough, setting a new historical low and indicating that QFF had made remarkable progress in efficient resource utilization and low-carbon smelting technology.

The breakthrough decline in smelting electricity consumption stemmed from two key technological innovations. Firstly, the commissioning of the magnetic separation iron efficient recovery project, which precisely recovered and enriched iron-bearing materials, significantly reducing the amount of return slag entering the furnace, lowering the ineffective load and energy waste within the furnace, and markedly enhancing the utilization efficiency of raw materials. Secondly, the optimization of flux substitution ratios, which involved experimenting with the partial substitution of basic materials for the original flux. This new process optimized slag performance, effectively reducing the total amount of flux entering the furnace and directly lowering the high energy consumption required for flux decomposition and melting.

These two innovations produced a synergistic effect, with the reduction in return slag volume alleviating the subsequent processing load, and the decrease in total flux volume reducing energy consumption in raw material preparation, processing, and transportation. Combined with lean management of power consumption throughout the entire process (raw material handling, environmental protection, water circulation, etc.), a systematic optimization of comprehensive electricity consumption was achieved. This move not only significantly reduced the production cost per mt of iron and carbon emissions, enhancing product competitiveness, but also effectively promoted resource recycling and optimization of the raw material structure.

QFF General Manager Qin Huaxiang stated, "The magnetic separation iron recycling and flux substitution processes are innovative applications guided by the lean management philosophy. The 3000 kwh/t smelting electricity consumption is a breakthrough result of the deep integration of technological innovation and lean management. This marks a solid step forward for the company in transforming into a resource-conserving and environmentally friendly enterprise. Next, QFF will continue to deepen technological potential exploration and drive the enterprise towards a green and high-quality development direction."