Steelmakers propose induction furnace tech

A group of steel manufacturers presented induction furnace (IF) technology as a steelmaking alternative in the Philippines despite the technology having been banned in China due to several concerns.

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said the Philippine Induction Smelting Industry Association (PISIA) in a presentation underscored the benefits of the IF technology in terms of “equipment performance, energy consumption, production cost, environmental protection, and pollution prevention and control.”

The use of IF for steelmaking has been banned by manufacturing giant China since 2017 ostensibly because the machines can be more pollutive and may also produce substandard steel products.

In support of this move, the DTI and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) early this year said it is forming a technical working group to ensure the alignment of policies and strategies for steelmaking with environmental standards and product quality, following reports that used IF facilities are still being set up in the country.

The DTI has also imposed stricter standards for steel products and committed to investigate the presence of substandard steel in the market.

The trade agency, however, said that president Benjamin Co of Wan Chiong Steel Corp., a member of PISIA, stated that IF facilities were not banned in China, but were closed “for reasons of overcapacity and not being able to cope with regulations, among others.”

The DTI further cited Co as saying that the equipment from closed IF plants in China cannot be used here due to incompatibility in the existing power infrastructure.

“The presentation of the PISIA about IF is highly appreciated by the DTI for this will be part of the technical papers that will be studied and validated by the agency in aid of decision-making and policy formulation relative to the IF technology,” undersecretary for DTI consumer protection group Ruth Castelo said.

“The department, as with all industries, is committed in studying the steel-making industry, including all technologies at hand.”