Globally iron ore is the major feedstock for BF BOF steel making route which produced 65.5 percent of world crude steel in 2006. But the process requires various types of treatment of raw materials, involving high capital costs and substantial investment on infrastructure. It also leads to environmental problems and has a long gestation period. To find a way out of this shortcoming of BF-BOF process, EAF steelmaking was introduced long ago. The share of EAF steelmaking in the global output of crude steel has increased substantially from 26.6 percent in 1988 to 32.0 percent in 2006. The increasing trend in the prices of steel scrap and its short supply led the steel technologist to find a suitable charge mix in the form of sponge iron or Direct Reduction Iron (DRI).
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