Benchmark Dose Assessment for Coke Oven Emissions-Induced Mitochondrial DNA Copy Number Damage Effects

Objective The study aimed to estimate the benchmark dose(BMD)of coke oven emissions(COEs)exposure based on mitochondrial damage with the mitochondrial DNA copy number(mtDNAcn)as a biomarker.Methods A total of 782 subjects were recruited,including 238 controls and 544 exposed workers.The mtDNAcn of peripheral leukocytes was detected through the real-time fluorescence-based quantitative polymerase chain reaction.Three BMD approaches were used to calculate the BMD of COEs exposure based on the mitochondrial damage and its 95%confidence lower limit(BMDL).Results The mtDNAcn of the exposure group was lower than that of the control group(0.60±0.29 vs.1.03±0.31;P<0.001).A dose-response relationship was shown between the mtDNAcn damage and COEs.Using the Benchmark Dose Software,the occupational exposure limits(OELs)for COEs exposure in males was 0.00190 mg/m^(3).The OELs for COEs exposure using the BBMD were 0.00170 mg/m^(3)for the total population,0.00158 mg/m^(3)for males,and 0.00174 mg/m^(3)for females.In possible risk obtained from animal studies(PROAST),the OELs of the total population,males,and females were 0.00184,0.00178,and 0.00192 mg/m^(3),respectively.Conclusion Based on our conservative estimate,the BMDL of mitochondrial damage caused by COEs is0.002 mg/m^(3).This value will provide a benchmark for determining possible OELs.

Hydrogen production via chemical looping reforming of coke oven gas

Coke oven gas(COG)is one of the most important by-products in steel industry,and the conversion of COG to value-added products has attracted much attention from both economic and environmental views.In this work,we use the chemical looping reforming technology to produce pure H_(2) from COG.A series of La1-xSrxFeO_(3)(x?0,0.2,0.3,0.4,0.5,0.6)perovskite oxides were prepared as oxygen carriers for this purpose.The reduction behaviors of La1-xSrxFeO_(3) perovskite by different reducing gases(H_(2),CO,CH4 and the mixed gases)are investigated to discuss the competition effect of different components in COG for reacting with the oxygen carriers.The results show that reduction temperatures of H_(2) and CO are much lower than that of CH4,and high temperatures(>800℃)are requested for selective oxidation of methane to syngas.The co-existence of CO and H_(2) shows weak effect on the equilibrium of methane conversion at high temperatures,but the oxidation of methane to syngas can inhibit the consumption of CO and H_(2).The doping of suitable amounts of Sr in LaFeO_(3) perovskite(e.g.,La0.5Sr0.5FeO_(3))significantly promotes the activity for selective oxidation of methane to syngas and inhibits the formation of carbon deposition,obtaining both high methane conversion in the COG oxidation step and high hydrogen yield in the water splitting step.The La0.5Sr0.5FeO_(3) shows the highest methane conversion(67.82%),hydrogen yield(3.34 mmol g^(-1))and hydrogen purity(99.85%).The hydrogen yield in water splitting step is treble as high as the hydrogen consumption in reduction step.These results reveal that chemical looping reforming of COG to produce pure H_(2) is feasible,and an O_(2)-assistant chemical looping reforming process can further improves the redox stability of oxygen carrier.

Advanced green refractory technologies for coke ovens at Baosteel

To construct world-class iron and steel enterprises,Baosteel has adopted a strategy of environmental management that emphasizes environmental protection in the low-carbon and ecological manufacturing of steel products.In recent years,Baosteel has developed a series of advanced green refractory technologies(including composite refractory precast blocks with a unique ceramic glaze,and high-thermal-conductivity / high-density silica brick) for use in Baosteel coke ovens.The results of these applications not only reduce production costs and increase production efficiency,but also facilitate clean production by coke ovens.Baosteel's coke oven has become China's leading example of the application of green refractories.

Damage Mechanism and Structure Analysis of Used Clay Checker Bricks for Regenerators of Coke Ovens

During long-term use,the clay checker bricks for regenerators of coke ovens on gas side react with the impurities containing Fe and K20,causing foaming,softening and deformation,which is not only related with the impurity content and properties of the clay checker bricks,but also related with the type and the composition of the dust in the gas.After long term use,the clay checker bricks of coke ovens on air side have relative lower impurities containing Fe and K20.The inferior clay checker bricks,with high impurity content and high porosity,are easy to pulverize and deteriorate due to the oxidationreduction reaction with the iron oxide and the gas.The gas quality shall be concerned for long service life of the coke oven regenerators.

Survey on State of Baosteel Phase One M-type Coke Oven and Practices

The phase one M-type coke oven in Baosteel was a large coke oven imported from Nippon Steel&Sumitomo Metal,which played an important role in the development of large-scaled coke ovens in China.By investigating the shutting down process and the damage process of M-type coke oven body in Baosteel,the damage of used refractories in different parts,including carbonation chamber,combustion chamber,oven top,regenerative chamber,rising pipe,flue pipe and so on,was investigated and analyzed,which laid a good foundation for further damage analysis of coke oven body and improvement of maintenance in daily production.

Effect of Cr2O3 addition on oxidation induration and reduction swelling behavior of chromium-bearing vanadium titanomagnetite pellets with simulated coke oven gas

The oxidation induration and reduction swelling behavior of chromium-bearing vanadium titanomagnetite pellets(CVTP)with Cr2O3 addition were studied,and the reduction swelling index(RSI)and compressive strength(CS)of the reduced CVTP with simulated coke oven gas(COG)injection were investigated.The results showed that the CS of the CVTP decreases and the porosity of the CVTP increases with increasing amount of Cr2O3 added.The Cr2O3 mainly exists in the form of(Cr,Fe)2O3 solid solution in the CVTP and as Fe-Cr in the reduced CVTP.The CS of the reduced CVTP increases and the RSI of the reduced CVTP decreases with increasing amount of Cr2O3 added.The limited aggregation and diffusion of metallic iron contribute to the formation of dense lamellar crystals,which leads to the slight decrease for reduction swelling behavior of reduced CVTP.This work provides a theoretical and technical basis for the utilization of CVTP and other Cr-bearing ores such as chromite with COG recycling technology.

Partial oxidation of simulated hot coke oven gas to syngas over Ru-Ni/Mg(Al)O catalyst in a ceramic membrane reactor

Hydrogen amplification from simulated hot coke oven gas(HCOG) was investigated in a BaCo 0.7 Fe 0.2 Nb 0.1 O 3 δ(BCFNO) membrane reactor combined with a Ru-Ni/Mg(Al) O catalyst by the partial oxidation of hydrocarbon compounds under atmospheric pressure. Under optimized reaction conditions,the dense oxygen permeable membrane had an oxygen permeation flux around 13.3 ml/(cm 2 min) . By reforming of the toluene and methane,the amount of H 2 in the reaction effluent gas was about 2 times more than that of original H2 in simulated HCOG. The Ru-Ni/Mg(Al) O catalyst used in the membrane reactor possessed good catalytic activity and resistance to coking. After the activity test,a small amount of whisker carbon was observed on the used catalyst,and most of them could be removed in the hydrogen-rich atmosphere,implying that the carbon deposition formed on the catalyst might be a reversible process.

Perovskite-type oxygen-permeable membrane BaCo_(0.7)Fe_(0.2)Nb_(0.1)O_(3-δ) for partial oxidation of methane in coke oven gas to hydrogen

Perovskite-type oxygen-permeable membrane reactors of BaCo0.7Fe0.2Nb0.1O3-δ (BCFNO) packed with Ru-based catalyst had high oxygen permeability and could be used for hydrogen production by partial oxidation of methane in coke oven gas (COG).At 1173 K,94% of methane conversion,85% of H2 selectivity,107% of CO selectivity,and as high as 15.4 mL·cm-2·min-1 of oxygen permeation flux were obtained.The BCFNO membrane itself had poor catalytic activity to partial oxidation of CH4 in COG.During continuous operation for 70 h at 1173 K,no degradation of the membrane reaction performance was observed.XRD and SEM characterization also demonstrated that the BCFNO membrane reactor exhibited good stability in partial oxidation of methane in COG.

Performance of a tubular oxygen-permeable membrane reactor for partial oxidation of CH_4 in coke oven gas to syngas

A gas-tight BaCo 0.7 Fe 0.2 Nb 0.1 O 3-δ(BCFNO) tubular membrane was fabricated by hot pressure casting.And a membrane reactor with BCFNO tubular membrane and Ag-based sealant was readily constructed and applied to partial oxidation of CH4 in coke oven gas.At 875 ℃,95% of methane conversion,91% of H 2 and as high as 10 ml cm-2·min-1 of oxygen permeation flux were obtained.There was a good match in the coefficient of thermal expansion between Ag-based alloy and BCFNO membrane materials.The tubular BCFNO membrane reactor packed with Ni-based catalysts exhibited not only high activity but also good stability in hydrogen-enriched coke oven gas(COG) atmosphere.

Influence of hydrogen-enriched atmosphere under coke oven gas injection on reduction swelling behaviors of oxidized pellet

It is of great importance to elucidate reduction swelling behaviors and reaction mechanism of oxidized pellet in hydrogen-enriched atmosphere under coke oven gas injection. In this work, the effects of hydrogen concentration in N_2-CO-H_2 atmosphere with unchanged CO content on reduction swelling behaviors of oxidized pellet at 1173 K were studied, to clarify the mechanism of hydrogen-enriched reduction and exclude the influences of CO. Then, the reduction swelling behaviors of oxidized pellet at 1173 K in actual atmosphere under coke oven gas(COG) injection, got from the simulation results of multi-fluid blast furnace model, were investigated. The results show that with the concentration of hydrogen increasing in N_2-CO-H_2 gas from 2% to 18%, the reduction swelling index of pellet decreases from 10.12% to 5.57% while the reduction ratio of pellet increases obviously from 39.85% to 69.58%. In addition, with COG injection rate increasing from 0 to 152.34 m^3/t, the reduction swelling index of pellet decreases slightly from 10.71% to 9.54% while the reduction ratio of pellet is increased from 31.57% to 36.39%. The microstructures of pellet are transformed from the platy structure to the flocculent structure.

Hydrogen production from simulated hot coke oven gas by catalytic reforming over Ni/Mg(Al)O catalysts

Hydrogen production by catalytic reforming of simulated hot coke oven gas (HCOG) with toluene as a model tar compound was investigated in a fixed bed reactor over Ni/Mg(Al)O catalysts. The catalysts were prepared by a homogeneous precipitation method using urea hydrolysis and characterized by ICP, BET, XRD, TPR, TEM and TG. XRD showed that the hydrotalcite type precursor after calcination formed (Ni, Mg)Al2O4 spinel and Ni-Mg-O solid solution structure. TPR results suggested that the increase in Ni/Mg molar ratio gave rise to the decrease in the reduction temperature of Ni2+ to Ni0 on Ni/Mg(Al)O catalysts. The reaction results indicated that toluene and CH4 could completely be converted to H2 and CO in the catalytic reforming of the simulated HCOG under atmospheric pressure and the amount of H2 in the reaction effluent gas was about 4 times more than that in original HCOG. The catalysts with lower Ni/Mg molar ratio showed better catalytic activity and resistance to coking, which may become promising catalysts in the catalytic reforming of HCOG.

Conversion and reaction kinetics of coke oven gas over a commercial Fe-Mo/Al_2O_3 catalyst

Producing methanol from coke oven gas(COG) is one of the important applications of COG. Removal of sulfur from COG is a key step of this process. Conversion and reaction kinetics over a commercial Fe-Mo/Al2O3 catalyst(T-202) were studied in a continuous flow fixed bed reactor under pressures of 1.6-2.8 MPa, space time of 1.32-3.55 s and temperatures of 240-360 °C. Though the COG contains about 0.6 mol/mol H2, hydrogenation of CO and CO2 is not significant on this catalyst. The conversions of unsaturated hydrocarbons depend on their molecular structures. Diolefins and alkynes can be completely hydrogenated even at relatively low temperature and pressure. Olefins, in contrast, can only be progressively hydrogenated with increasing temperature and pressure. The hydrodesulfurization(HDS) of CS2 on this catalyst is easy. Complete conversion of CS2 was observed in the whole range of the conditions used in this work. The original COS in the COG can also be easily converted to a low level. However, its complete HDS is difficult due to the relatively high concentration of CO in the COG and due to the limitation of thermodynamics. H2 S can react with unsaturated hydrocarbons to form ethyl mercaptan and thiophene, which are then progressively hydrodesulfurized with increasing temperature and pressure. Based on the experimental observations, reaction kinetic models for the conversion of ethylene and sulfur-containing compounds were proposed; the values of the parameters in the models were obtained by regression of the experimental data.

Kinetic model on coke oven gas with steam reforming

The effects of factors such as the molar ratio of H2O to CH4 (n(H2O)/n(CH4)), methane conversion temperature and time on methane conversion rate were investigated to build kinetic model for reforming of coke-oven gas with steam. The results of experiments show that the optimal conditions for methane conversion are that the molar ratio of H2O to CH4 varies from 1.1 to 1.3 and the conversion temperature varies from 1 223 to 1 273 K. The methane conversion rate is more than 95% when the molar ratio of H2O to CH4 is 1.2, the conversion temperature is above 1 223 K and the conversion time is longer than 0.75 s. Kinetic model of methane conversion was proposed. All results demonstrate that the calculated values by the kinetic model accord with the experimental data well, and the error is less than 1.5%.

Process Optimization of Coke Oven Gas to Methanol Based on the Downgrade of By-Product Steam

In the coke oven gas to methanol(CTM) process, boiling water(above 200 ℃) is generally used as the coolant in the methanol synthesis reactor, and thus, medium-pressure steam is generated as a by-product. In this paper, the influence of the coolant temperature on the CTM process is investigated from two aspects, which are the performance analyses of the reactor and the overall process and the energy integration of by-product steam. The results reveal that the coolant temperature plays a key role in the CTM process optimization. When the coolant temperature is reduced to 187 ℃, though low-pressure steam is generated, the techno-economic performance of the whole process is greatly improved: the energy/exergy efficiency is increased by 4-9%, energy cost is saved by 37.1%, income is increased by 5.4 M$/year, and the C02 emission is reduced by 21.3%.

Microstructure Analysis of Used Silica Brick in Coke Oven of Meisteel

Microstructure analysis shows quartz remains more or less in used silica brick for coking chamber of coke oven, and quartz gradually becomes metastable cristohalite and then translates into tridymite in used brick for high temperature combustion chamber.Phase change of silica brick only limits to transformation of quartz and metaslable cristohalite.When finished,structure of silica brick tends to stable.Carbon sedimentates and graphitizes helping to protect the silica brick and improve heat conductivity of silica brick for coking chamber.

Development and Application of Zero Expansion Silica Brick for Hot Repairing of Coke Oven

In order to meet the needs of hot repairing technology of coke oven, the zero expansion silica brick with super properties has been developed, and the problem of poor thermal stability of common silica brick has been overcomned. This product can be directly used after being rapidly heated after construction. At present, it has been applied in coke ovens in Italy and Baosteel.

Study and Application of Sealing Material for Coke Oven Chamber

A kind of dry refractory sealing material has been developed to repair the fine cracks in coke oven chamber. With silica sand as the main raw material, the sealing material is blown into coke oven chamber by compressed air while being applied, and bonded to brick surface or filled in fine cracks of chamber under right pressure. The physical properties of the material are similar to those of silica bricks during its application. So it can be adapted to conditions of coke oven and has good service life. The study and application results of the sealing material are described in this paper.

A Survey on Neuropsychological State, Oxidative Stress and Hematological Parameters in Coke Oven Workers

Coke oven factories are one of the main emitting sources of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH)s which have been identified as highly carcinogenic chemicals by IARC. Induction of oxidative stress and following disrupting pathways has been repeatedly reported in subjects exposed to PAHs. This study was performed to monitor the oxidative stress markers, hematological and biochemical parameters, and psychological states in coke oven workers. 100 male subjects were included in this comparative cross-sectional study. At first 50 male workers who were 22 - 63 and worked in the steel factory located in South-East of Iran were contained. Control subjects were chosen from Esfahan, in the factory’s neighborhood, consisting of 50 office workers without any background of occupational exposure to metals. The blood levels of hematological factors and oxidative stress were measured. In order to compare data, two-sample t test was applied. In order to measure the correlation between variables, Pearson correlation coefficient was applied. The mean level of total antioxidant capacity, hemoglobin (Hb), mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), and hematocrit were significantly lower in the workers in association with increased lipid per oxidation (LPO). A positive correlation existed between work history, hyper thyroids (r2 = 0.288, p = 0.01), and endocrine disorders (r2 = 0.309, p = 0.028). Occupational exposure of coke oven workers to PAHs can induce oxidative stress and consequent metabolic and neuropsychological disorders. When workers take daily shower and use protective tools, absorption of toxic elements would decrease so that reaching them to the body can be suitably limited.

Feedback control strategy of longitudinal temperature and finished carbonization time for coke oven and its application

Based on the detailed analysis of the third coke oven in BaoSteel, a feedback control strategy of longitudinal temperature and finished carbonization time of coke ovens was proposed and it was applied to the third coke oven in BaoSteel. As a result, the ratio of the instance that the absolute deviation of the longitudinal temperature is within ±7°C and the finished carbonization time within ± 10 rain is more than 80%, having acquired the patent saving effect of an energy consumption lowered by 2.92%. At the same time, it can provide an example for the same coke ovens inside and outside the nation.

On-site raw gas cut-off during the shut down of Baosteel phaseⅠcoke ovens

The preparation and implementation of rawcoke oven gas cut-off,which was the key process involved with shutting down the Baosteel phase I coke ovens,were investigated,and the main technical points and countermeasures are presented.