Eramet work to fix furnace problem

By Sam Shawver, sshawver@mariettatimes.com
The relining and deepening of the largest of Eramet Marietta’s three submerged electric arc furnaces, scheduled to begin this week, will greatly reduce the chances of future malfunctions and lower emissions in a piece of equipment that has given the company some headaches over the last couple of years.

“What began Tuesday is the actual reconstruction of Furnace No. 1, and that, combined with a state-of-the-art abatement system upgrade, is expected to reduce that furnace’s particulate matter and manganese emissions by 54 percent,” said Joy Frank-Collins, Eramet spokeswoman.

The furnace upgrades will take a couple of months to complete, and in the meantime engineering will begin to install a new baghouse emissions abatement system on Furnace No. 1.

“We’ll be using the latest emissions control technology,” Frank-Collins said. “This isn’t the same system that was in use 50 years ago.”

Engineering is currently under way for the new abatement system, and the project will require review by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. But when completed the existing venturi wet scrubber system will be replaced by the more efficient new baghouse technology.

Overall the combined upgrades could result in a 20 percent plant-wide decrease in particulate emissions. Total cost of the projects is estimated at $20 million.

“We’re very excited to announce these projects,” Frank Bjorklund, Eramet Marietta CEO, said in a recent company press release, adding that the upgrades show the company’s commitment to being a responsible corporate citizen and to maintaining the local facility for the future.

“We’ve been planning these upgrades for two years now, and are pleased that we are at a point in which we can make them a reality,” he said.

The company has built up its silicomanganese inventory so customers will not be affected during the upgrades to Furnace No. 1, which is used to produce the steel additive.

Company officials said Eramet’s high-carbon ferromanganese and refined alloys production won’t be affected by the upgrades.

In early 2007 Eramet Marietta experienced at least two burn-throughs in Furnace No. 1, resulting in a small quantity of molten silicomanganese leaking onto the plant floor instead of into a cast designed to hold the material when the furnace is tapped.

No one was injured during those incidents, and an OEPA spokesman said the leaks posed no threat to the community or the environment.

Operational problems with the same furnace, due to water leakage caused by rings and seals that needed to be replaced, resulted in the equipment being designated as out of compliance following an emissions test by OEPA in November 2006.

Although the problem was fixed and a re-test in May, 2007, showed the furnace was operating well within limits, in January this year OEPA fined Eramet $37,050 for the violation.

Environmental specialist Christina Wieg, of OEPA’s air division in Logan, said Eramet officials have been in contact with the agency regarding the upgrades.

“We’ve had conversations about a project on Furnace

No. 1, and we’ve had some in-depth discussions about the furnace lining,” she said. “Anything that improves control of furnace emissions is a good thing.”

Wieg noted that no drawings or anticipated efficiency ratings information had been submitted by the company, and that data would probably not be forwarded until the design and engineering phase on the new baghouse project is completed.

“A lot of our rules and regulations will depend on whether the upgrades will increase efficiency,” she said. “It could be that the project would not require a permit from us.”

Charlotte Keim, executive director of the Marietta Area Chamber of Commerce, said a $20 million investment is huge for a private company to put into upgrades that won’t have a large impact on production.

“It will affect their bottom line, but this won’t have as much of an impact on production as it will on the environment,” she said. “These companies don’t often get a pat on the back for addressing environmental concerns, and Eramet should be recognized as they are working very hard to be a good corporate neighbor here.”

Keim added that the location of the Eramet facility on Ohio 7 has opened the door for other businesses, such as Fibrox Technology, a company that’s considering a site nearby to take advantage of Eramet slag waste that Fibrox could use to produce mineral fiber.