Carbon footprint of coke-making in Europe and the cost-effectiveness of plant design: Optimization by using alternative reductants.

This study evaluates the potential of partially replacing coking coal-a critical raw material-with solid recovered fuel (SRF) pellets made from non-recyclable waste plastics. Total CO2 emissions and gross profit (GP) from metallurgical coke production in 2019, 2022, and 2023 were assessed across nine plant configurations under two scenarios: the Benchmark Scenario (BS) using only coking coal, and the AlterCoal Scenario (AS) replacing 2 wt% of the coking coal by SRF pellets. Results show indirect and total emissions in the AS decreased by 5.7 % and 6.4 %, respectively. Higher pellet density increased GP, though with a minor rise in emissions. Additionally, a linear correlation was found between GP and oven pushes: plants with fewer daily pushes-due to larger ovens-achieved greater profitability and GP per ton of direct CO2 emitted. These results provide guidelines for steel plants considering this process, thereby contributing to the broader goal of emission reduction.