Environmental Solution for China's Steel Industry

Siemens Metals Technologies received a contract from the Chinese steel producer Maanshan Iron & Steel Company Ltd. (Masteel) to install the first Meros plant outside Europe. The new facility will be built at the No. 1 Sinter Plant of the company's integrated iron and steel works located in Maanshan, Anhui Province, and will be capable of treating approximately 1,000,000 m3 of sinter-offgas per hour.

The Meros (Maximized Emission Reduction Of Sintering) dry-cleaning process reduces emissions of dust, heavy metals, sulfur dioxide and organic compounds to levels previously unattained applying conventional technologies. The completion of this project is expected by mid-2009.

Masteel is one of the leading iron and steel companies in China and the largest industrial enterprise in Anhui province. The company produces approximately fifteen million tons of steel each year which is primarily sold as steel sections, wire rods and medium and thick plates. Furthermore, Masteel is the largest producer of train wheels in China.

In order to drastically reduce environmental emissions from its No. 1 Sinter Plant, Masteel decided to have a Meros plant installed. A major reason for Maanshan's decision for Meros was because of the excellent results achieved with the new plant at the Sinter Plant No. 5 of the Austrian steel producer voestalpine. Since the Meros plant start-up in August 2007, it has been operating at near 100% availability and pollutants are reduced in some cases to well over 90 percent.

For the Maanshan project Siemens will supply basic data, basic engineering and key process equipment. This includes the additive-injection system, the water-injection system for the conditioning reactor, filter bags, special components of the ID (induced draught) fan (motor, frequency converter and transformer) as well as electrics and automation for the entire Meros installation. Training and also advisory services for erection, start-up and plant commissioning round off the Siemens' scope of supply. The entire project will carried out with no interference to ongoing sintering operations.

In the Meros process, adsorbents and desulphurization agents are injected into the sinter offgas stream to bind heavy metals, organic compounds, sulfur dioxide and other acidic gases. The gas stream passes to a conditioning reactor where the gas is moisturized and cooled, accelerating chemical reactions. Dust particles are trapped in a bag filter. In order to enhance the gas-cleaning efficiency and reduce costs, a portion of this dust is recycled to the offgas stream, allowing unreacted additives to once again come into contact with the offgas.

Meros is a registered trademark of Siemens AG in certain countries.

The Siemens Industry Sector (Erlangen, Germany) is the world's leading supplier of production, transportation and building systems. Integrated hardware and software technologies combined with comprehensive industry-specific solutions enable Siemens to enhance the productivity and efficiency of its customers in industry and infrastructure. The Sector comprises six Divisions: Building Technologies, Industry Automation, Industry Solutions, Mobility, Drive Technologies and Osram. In fiscal 2007 (ended September 30), Siemens Industry generated sales of approximately EUR40 billion (pro forma, unconsolidated) with around 209,000 employees worldwide.

With the business activities of Siemens VAI Metal Technologies, (Linz, Austria), Siemens Water Technologies (Warrendale, Pa., U.S.A.), and Industry Technologies, (Erlangen, Germany), the Siemens Industry Solutions Division (Erlangen, Germany) is one of the world's leading solution and service providers for industrial and infrastructure facilities. Using its own products, systems and process technologies, Industry Solutions develops and builds plants for end customers, commissions them and provides support during their entire life cycle.