After multiplex examines and appraises by the industry members and peers, the first class award of science and technology of 2017, presented by the Chinese Recycling Economy Association, goes to the Shagang’s project, joint with the Metallurgical Engineering Institute of Jiangsu Province, “The key process technology and demonstration of results of rotary hearth furnace in processing and treating Fe and Zn containing dust mud for recycling and reuse application”.

This awarded project fills the vacancy of rotary furnace technology in China, breaks the technical barriers set by the foreign companies and demonstrates the process which utilizes Fe and Zn containing dust/mud as useful resources in a high efficient way. This project involves various state of the art process technologies, such as optimized raw material dosing/blending process, self developed by the R&D department of Shagang; new type of binding agent/material, integrated dust mud and tail iron ore treatment process; regenerative combustion process of the rotary hearth furnace, developed by the Shenwu Group; direct reduction process using rotary hearth furnace; waste gas treatment for rotary hearth furnace, etc. There are over 30 patents of various kinds have been granted.

Based on the development and application of key technology and equipment, the rotary furnace production facility for handling Fe and Zn containing dust mud was put into operation smoothly featured with high capacity, low energy consumption, highly specialized application and high quality product. This facility also has the capability to handle certain kind of bulk solid waste like tail iron ore. The rotary hearth furnace project is a breakthrough event in comprehensively using resources under the national development strategy “innovation driven, green first”. This successful project brings the steel industry of the state to a higher level in field of reuse and recycling solid waste like Fe and Zn containing dust. The success of the project has shown clear benefits in economical, environmental and social aspects.

As been informed, the award of science and technology presented by the Chinese Recycling Economy Association is set to praise and encourage those outstanding achievements made by the organizations and people in the field of national recycling economy, to promote technical advancement in this field and boost the conversion and application of scientific and technologic achievements. The candidate projects, technologies and people will be chosen from those having significant impact in the field of the research of recycling economy, the transformation from traditional development mode. The process and technology been chosen shall show the common property in terms of profit and benefit, which are able to encourage the progress the industrial technique, shall be forward -looking and hi-tec. The industrial sectors and fields of the achievements which can be selected are steel, non-ferrous metal, mining, construction material, chemical industry, machinery, farming, etc.