The Whyalla Steelworks is an integrated Steel Works with current capacity of approximately 1.2 Mtpa. It is the only Australian manufacturer of special grade billet and steel long products.
Project: BOS slag utilisation
Premier's Award category: Productivity improvement (resources)
The Steel Works was commissioned in 1965 and since then, all slag that is produced as a by-product of the Basic Oxygen Smelting (BOS) steel making process has been stockpiled on site. Today, at Liberty Primary Steel (LPS), Whyalla there are very large and growing stockpiles of BOS Slag which finds limited application in road construction and landfill.
Application of Lean Manufacturing methods resulted in systematic analysis of the steel making process to identify and minimise all waste. Innovative thinking and collaboration between multidisciplinary teams determined that previously discarded BOS slag could be charged into the Whyalla Blast Furnace as a substitute for certain raw materials and fluxes.
A successful trial was conducted by introducing BOS slag into the Blast Furnace charge burden under controlled conditions. During the trial period of 12 to 26 April 2023, LPS realised a saving of about $500,000 through reduced consumption of dolomite, limestone, quartz, and iron (Fe) bearing ores and pellets. This practice has now been standardised resulting in an annualised conversion cost reduction of $6,000, 000. Additional benefit is derived by reducing the footprint of large BOS Slag stockpiles and thus having a positive impact on the environment.
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