Desulphurization strategies in oxygen steelmaking

One of the most significant improvements in steel quality was the limitation of the sulphur content. That development was driven by the introduction of hot metal and steel desulphurization in integrated steelmaking plants. A side effect was the possibility of optimizing the slag composition in the blast furnace with respect to increased productivity and reduced costs. This article describes the state-of-the-art in desulphurization by explaining the sources of sulphur in iron and steelmaking, the quality requirements of steel products and the desulphurization technology.