1. System Boundaries
3.11 Sintered Ore
3.11.1 Special provisions
This aggregated goods category includes all kinds of iron ore pellet production (for sale of pellets as well as for direct use in the same installation) and sinter production. To the extent covered by CN code 2601 12 00, also iron ores used as precursors for ferro-chromium (FeCr), ferro-manganese (FeMn) or ferro-nickel (FeNi) may be covered.
3.11.2 System boundary
For sintered ore, direct emissions monitoring shall encompass:
– all processes emitting CO2 from process materials such as limestone and other carbonates or carbonate ores;
– all processes emitting CO2 from all fuels including coke, waste gases such as coke oven gas, blast furnace gas or converter gas; directly or indirectly linked to the production process, and materials used for flue gas cleaning.
3.12 FeMn (Ferro-Manganese), FeCr (Ferro-Chromium) and FeNi (Ferro-Nickel)
3.12.1 Special provisions
This process covers only the production of the alloys identified under CN codes 7202 1, 7202 4 and 7202 6. Other iron materials with significant alloy content such as spiegeleisen are not covered. NPI (nickel pig iron) is included if the nickel content is greater than 10%.
Where waste gases or other flue gases are emitted without abatement, CO contained in the waste gas shall be considered as the molar equivalent of CO2 emissions.
3.12.2 System boundary
For FeMn, FeCr and FeNi, direct emissions monitoring shall encompass:
– all processes directly or indirectly linked to the production processes emitting CO2 emissions caused by fuel inputs, irrespective of whether they are used for energetic or non-energetic use;
– all processes directly or indirectly linked to the production processes emitting CO2 emissions from process inputs such as limestone and from flue gas cleaning;
– all processes directly or indirectly linked to the production processes emitting CO2 emissions from the consumption of electrodes or electrode pastes;
– carbon remaining in the product or in slags or wastes is taken into account by using a mass balance method in accordance with point B.3.2 of Annex II.
3.13 Pig Iron
3.13.1 Special provisions
This aggregated goods category includes non-alloyed pig iron from blast furnaces as well as alloy-containing pig irons (e.g., spiegeleisen), irrespective of the physical form (e.g. ingots, granules). NPI (nickel pig iron) is included if the nickel content is lower than 10%. In integrated steel plants, liquid pig iron (“hot metal”) directly charged to the oxygen converter is the product which separates the production process for pig iron from the production process of crude steel. Where the installation does not sell or transfer pig iron to other installations, a joint production process including crude steel can be established making subject to the rules of Article 4.
3.13.2 System boundary
3.13.2.1 Blast furnace route
For that production route, direct emissions monitoring shall encompass:
– all processes directly or indirectly linked to the production processes emitting CO2 from fuels and reducing agents such as coke, coke dust, coal, fuel oils, plastic wastes, natural gas, wood wastes, charcoal, as well as from waste gases such as coke oven gas, blast furnace gas or converter gas;
– where biomass is used, the provisions of point B.3.3 of Annex II shall be taken into account;
– all processes directly or indirectly linked to the production processes emitting CO2 from process materials such as limestone, magnesite, and other carbonates, carbonate ores; materials for flue gas cleaning;
– carbon remaining in the product or in slags or wastes is taken into account by using a mass balance method in accordance with point B.3.2 of Annex II.
3.13.2.2 Smelting reduction
For this production route, direct emissions monitoring shall encompass:
– all processes directly or indirectly linked to the production processes emitting CO2 from fuels and reducing agents such as coke, coke dust, coal, fuel oils, plastic wastes, natural gas, wood wastes, charcoal, waste gases from the process or converter gas;
– where biomass is used, the provisions of point B.3.3 of Annex II shall be taken into account;
– all processes directly or indirectly linked to the production processes emitting CO2 from process materials such as limestone, magnesite, and other carbonates, carbonate ores; materials for flue gas cleaning;
– carbon remaining in the product or in slags or wastes is taken into account by using a mass balance method in accordance with point B.3.2 of Annex II.
3.14 DRI (Direct Reduced Iron)
3.14.1 Special provisions
There is only one production route defined, although different technologies may use different qualities of ores, which may require pelletisation or sintering, and different reducing agents (natural gas, diverse fossil fuels or biomass, hydrogen). Therefore, precursors sintered ore or hydrogen may be relevant. As products, iron sponge, hot briquetted iron (HBI) or other forms of direct reduced iron may be relevant, including DRI which is immediately fed to electric arc furnaces or other downstream processes.
Where the installation does not sell or transfer DRI to other installations, a joint production process including steel can be established making subject to the rules of Article 4.
3.14.2 System boundary
For that production route, direct emissions monitoring shall encompass:
– all processes directly or indirectly linked to the production processes emitting CO2 from fuels and reducing agents such as coal, natural gas, fuel oils, waste gases from the process or converter gas, etc;
– where biogas or other forms of biomass are used, the provisions of point B.3.3 of Annex II shall be taken into account;
– all processes directly or indirectly linked to the production processes emitting CO2 from process materials such as limestone, magnesite, and other carbonates, carbonate ores, materials for flue gas cleaning;
– carbon remaining in the product or in slags or wastes is taken into account by using a mass balance method in accordance with point B.3.2 of Annex III.
3.15 Crude steel
3.15.1 Special provisions
The system boundary shall cover all necessary activities and units for obtaining crude steel:
– if the process starts from hot metal (liquid pig iron), the system boundary shall include the basic oxygen converter, vacuum degassing, secondary metallurgy, argon oxygen decarburisation / vacuum oxygen decarburisation, continuous casting or ingot casting, where relevant hot-rolling or forging, and all necessary auxiliary activities such as transfers, re-heating, and flue gas cleaning;
– if the process uses an electric arc furnace, the system boundary shall include all relevant activities and units such as the electric arc furnace itself, secondary metallurgy, vacuum degassing, argon oxygen decarburisation / vacuum oxygen decarburisation, continuous casting or ingot casting, where relevant hot-rolling or forging, and all necessary auxiliary activities such as transfers, heating of raw materials and equipment, re-heating, and flue gas cleaning;
– only primary hot-rolling and rough shaping by forging to obtain the semi-finished products under CN codes 7207, 7218 and 7224 are included in this aggregated goods category. All other rolling and forging processes are included in the aggregated goods category “iron or steel products”.
3.15.2 System boundary
3.15.2.1 Basic oxygen steelmaking
For that production route, direct emissions monitoring shall encompass:
– all processes directly or indirectly linked to the production processes emitting CO2 from fuels such as coal, natural gas, fuel oils, waste gases such as blast furnace gas, coke oven gas or converter gas;
– all processes directly or indirectly linked to the production processes emitting CO2 from process materials such as limestone, magnesite, and other carbonates, carbonate ores; materials for flue gas cleaning;
– carbon entering the process in scrap, alloys, graphite etc. and carbon remaining in the product or in slags or wastes is taken into account by using a mass balance method in accordance with Point B.3.2 of Annex III.
3.15.2.2 Electric arc furnace
For that production route, direct emissions monitoring shall take into account:
– all processes directly or indirectly linked to the production processes emitting CO2 from fuels such as coal, natural gas, fuel oils, as well as from waste gases such as blast furnace gas, coke oven gas or converter gas;
– all processes directly or indirectly linked to the production processes emitting CO2 from the consumption of electrodes and electrode pastes;
– all processes directly or indirectly linked to the production processes emitting CO2 from process materials such as limestone, magnesite, and other carbonates, carbonate ores; materials for flue gas cleaning;
– carbon entering the process, e.g. in the form of scrap, alloys and graphite, and carbon remaining in the product or in slags or wastes is taken into account by using a mass balance method in accordance with Point B.3.2 of Annex III.
3.16 Iron or steel products
3.16.1 Special provisions
None
3.16.2 System boundary
For iron or steel products, direct emissions monitoring shall take into account:
– all processes directly or indirectly linked to the production processes emitting CO2 emissions from combustion of fuels and process emissions from flue gas treatment, including re-heating, re-melting, casting, hot rolling, cold rolling, forging, annealing, coating, galvanizing, wire drawing, pickling and excluding the following processes: plating, cutting, welding and finishing of iron or steel products.