Steelmaking at Port Kembla History Corporate Overview Nature of the Port Kembla Steelworks Steel Production (Processes & Products) Extras Environment Marketing Research Working at the Steelworks Steel Language Important (www) Links HSC Online International Iron & Steel Institute

The Port Kembla Steelworks spends over $100 per minute on maintaining existing environmental controls and updating technology to keep pace with rising standards. The Steelworks has been involved in a series of projects designed to improve its environmental performance by preventing air, noise and water pollution. The establishment of truck-washing facilities across the Plant is a good example of effective dust recycling at work. Some 600,000 truck washes take place per year, resulting in the retrieval of some 6,500 tonnes of recyclable material. Steady progress is being made to achieve the Steelworks' aim of providing a cleaner and safer working environment for its employees and reducing the impact of its operations on its neighbours. Another recent example is the construction of the Number 6 Blast Furnace. Utilising the latest technology in blast furnace design and operational practices, this furnace incorporates a number of environmental safeguards aimed at reducing the environmental effects of blast furnace operation. They include: a blast furnace design to minimise emissions and waste integrated failsafe and safety back-up systems noise-abatement equipment a casthouse dedusting system application of dedusting facilities for stockhouse material handling stormwater control facilities slag air cooling to minimise steam and odour use of water spray during slag digging to minimise dust emissions. The working environment of employees has improved through a 'greening' program, where trees and shrubs have been planted around the boundaries and within the confines of the Steelworks. Where possible, Australian native plants have been used, and the growing medium is a mixture of Steelworks' by-products and organic additives developed following extensive research and trials. The Steelworks has its own Environment Department, which consists of professionals working in a variety of fields. Their role is to monitor the environment in and around the Steelworks, to advise management and operating departments on environmental issues, and to liaise with the community and the regulatory authorities such as the Environment Protection Agency. Around 360 kilograms of by-products are produced per tonne of crude steel. During each production phase there is a conscious effort made to minimize waste, and where by-products are produced, to use them efficiently.  A biological effluent plant, designed to treat waste water from the coke ovens, was constructed at Port Kembla in 1991. Using bacteria which thrive on a diet of cyanide, ammonia and hydrocarbons, the 'bug plant' removes 99 per cent of cyanide, 90 per cent of ammonia, 99 per cent of phenols and 99 per cent of thiocyanate found in the waste water. When the wastes are broken down by the bacteria, they are removed as a sludge which is squeezed dry and recycled to the coke ovens.The remaining water is filtered before being recycled or discharged safely. Slag is the basis for a multi-million dollar industry in Australia, and is a major by-products success story. The steelworks produce slag from two sources &endash; blast furnace slag and steelmaking slag. Slag flows from the iron and steel furnaces as a molten mixture of limestone and the earthy components of iron ore and coke, which have separated from the molten iron and steel in the furnace. This material has been used in projects such as the Sydney Harbour Tunnel, the third runway at Sydney Airport, the North West Shelf project, in the sea wall of the Sydney Opera House forecourt, and as road paving for sections of the F4 Freeway (because of its anti-skid attributes). More recently, it has been used in the construction of the concrete walls, floors, columns and beams in the Wollongong Entertainment Centre (where it was favoured because of its reduced drying shrinkage properties and the proximity of the Centre to the waterfront), and in many of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games venues, including the Equestrian Centre and Velodrome.

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