Partners for Environmental Progress (PEP) has awarded Outokumpu a 2024 Environmental Stewardship Award.
PEP recognised Outokumpu for two groundbreaking projects that exemplify the stainless steel company’s commitment to a greener future. Outokumpu embarked on a crucial mission to improve energy efficiency and air quality at their Calvert mill. The first project focused on the annealing furnaces, essential in processing stainless steel. By applying a high emissivity coating to the furnace walls and roof, Outokumpu’s team enhanced radiant heat transfer and cut natural gas usage substantially. This innovation resulted in a CO2 reduction of over 1,100 tons and saved more than 6,100 megawatt-hours of energy.
Outokumpu also initiated a second groundbreaking project, which focused on reducing nitrogen oxide emissions in their Hot Annealing and Pickling Line. By working with suppliers and trialing the injection of hydrogen peroxide into the acid baths, they significantly decreased the consumption of nitric acid. This process not only reduced NOx emissions but also minimised ammonia usage for NOx reduction. The results were impressive—reducing raw nitric acid consumption by over 3,000 gallons per month and cutting CO2 emissions by more than 1,400 tons.
