Tokai Carbon Group – Jingmei Wei – 2020
Goals
Japan-based Tokai Carbon GE LLC is challenged with overwhelming Metallurgical Coke fines generated that are not reusable in the process and are being disposed of in landfills. Seeing the potential of reducing both financial and environmental burdens, Tokai Carbon GE LLC enlisted Jingmei Wei to study ways to mitigate Met Coke fines sent for landfill, as well as to explore any cost saving opportunities.
Solutions
Jingmei approached the challenge using a three-part process:
- Identify Met Coke fine potential buyers. After conducting desktop research and cooperating with colleagues from various Tokai Carbon divisions, Jingmei identified trading companies, sales agencies and nearby Electric Arc Furnaces as the most likely potential buyers.
- Identify a work process improvement strategy for Primary Baking process. Jingmei found a possibility to remove the Ring Furnace middle wall and analyzed associated impact on raw Met Coke consumption, Met Coke fine generation, gas consumption and air pollution.
- Discover a work process improvement strategy to reduce waste delivery cost. Jingmei discovered a potential saving opportunity by having each delivery weight reach 14 tons before sending to the landfills.
Impact
Finding new potential buyers for Met Coke fines brings Tokai Carbon one step closer to the Met Coke fines sale target with a potential financial saving of $500,000 per year. Removing the Ring Furnace middle wall allows 1,194 tons of raw Met Coke consumption savings, 119 tons of Met Coke fines reduction, 2,502 MCFs gas consumption savings, 1,124 tons of GHG emissions reduction, and a total financial savings of $61,112. Having each delivery wait until reaching 14 tons before sending for landfill enables a cost savings of $82,761 per year.
As a result, Tokai Carbon GE LLC can reach out to new potential Met Coke fine buyers for fines sale. At the same time, this will give Tokai ways to decrease met coke fine generation from the source, save financial cost and reduce GHG emissions.
