According to Sankei Shimbun dated April 22 and NihonKeizai himbun dated May 2, 2013, JFE Steel Corporation officially announced that all tests for material handling system of ferrite coke test device have been successfully completed during the pilot phase, with all desired purposes achieved. It is considered by JFE as the world’s first trial of producing ferrocoke in vertical retort distillation furnace and also the first application trial in BF. For this material handling system, CISDI has supplied 300+ ton package unit including raw material bin, raw material transport, raw material weighing & heating, dedusting equipment and instrument. 

CISDI was contracted by JFE Shoji Trade Corporation in September 2009 to supply the ferrocoke material handling system on EP basis. The project is intended to install 30t/d ferrocoke test device, and the total investment of JPY3.8 billion is half-half shared by Japanese government and JFE. The test device construction was started in March 2010, and some tests were started in March 2011. The full line has achieved 24-hour continuous operation for seven times within one month from April 2012 to February 2013, producing totally 2,100t ferrocoke.

The ferrocoke produced by this installation has been continuously charged into JFE blast furnace #6 in Chiba at 10% of the coke quantity for smelting test from March 11 to 16, 2013, and the results shows that the BF has been running stably, and it contributes to less CO₂ emission (350,000t per year) and app. 10% cost reduction due to use of low-TFe ore. It can be used as substitute to 30% of coke and reduce the use of 20% high-adhesion coal to achieve less coking coal consumption and lower coke rate. JFE will make further development based on the existing test device to achieve 1,500t/d capacity by 2020.