Development and Provision of Eco-Friendly Processes and Products

Basic Policy

In accordance with its corporate philosophy of contributing to society with the world’s most innovative technology, the JFE Group develops and provides processes and products for addressing climate change and reducing environmental impact. In the JFE Group Environmental Vision for 2050, we announced our initiatives for reducing the CO₂ emissions of the Group and expanding our contribution to reducing CO₂ emissions in society as a whole. Apart from these initiatives, we also strive to enhance our corporate value and play our part in realizing a sustainable society through the development and provision of various processes and products related to preserving the global environment.

In the steel business, the Steel Research Laboratory is engaged in research and development under the Environmental Management System (environmental strategies) to create a recycling-oriented society capable of sustainable development by providing the world’s best technologies and sparking innovation. In the engineering business, the Research Center of Engineering Innovation conducts research and development of new technologies to support the society of the future, including the creation of next-generation energy and solutions to environmental problems.

• JFE Steel: Research and Technological Development
• JFE Engineering: Technological Development

For further details on the JFE Group Environmental Vision for 2050, refer to the following resources.

• The JFE Group Environmental Vision for 2050
• The JFE Group Environmental Vision for 2050, presentation material on May 25, 2021

Initiatives

Each operating company of the JFE Group leverages its respective strengths to develop and provide a variety of eco-friendly products and technologies.

• Eco-Friendly Processes, Products, and Technologies in FY2023
• Eco-friendly Processes, Products, and Technologies that Were Upgraded
• Major Eco-Friendly Processes, Products, and Technologies in the Past

Eco-Friendly Processes, Products, and Technologies in FY2023

ST Development of High-Efficiency Autonomous Cleaning Robot “GAZMASTER™-S”—Reduced Work Burden and Improved Safety and Productivity

Steelmaking uses facilities for handling iron ore, coal, and other raw materials, and they are usually cleaned by workers. To meet the strong demand automation, JFE Steel developed “GAZMASTER^™-S”^*, a high-efficiency, autonomous cleaning robot that can clean the floors of these facilities containing piles of raw materials in lumps and powder forms. The robot is now being used by the West Japan Works (Fukuyama District) (Photo 1).

GAZMASTER^™-S gets the job done even in narrow spaces and on stepped surfaces, requiring only a simple replacement of accessories depending on the space to be cleaned (Photo 2). This robot estimates its progress in cleaning a room by comparing its learned occupancy map with real-time information it obtains from its laser range scanner (Figure 1). It is capable of preventing its wheels from getting stuck and coping with low battery levels, and these functions and status conditions can be monitored and controlled using a tablet. Durability has already been assured through tests conducted at the steel manufacturing plant in Fukuyama. JFE Steel plans to deploy GAZMASTER^™-S at its other steelworks across the country to ease the burden of labor, improve safety and performance, and keep the workplaces cleaner and more pleasant.

With the launch of the JFE Digital Transformation Center (JDXC^™), JFE Steel is promoting DX, including the implementation of a cyber-physical system (CPS) for manufacturing as an innovation in productivity and a means for addressing resolve safety and related issues associated with manufacturing operations, ultimately contributing to a sustainable future.

• *GAZMASTAR: Coined from “Gather (dust)” and “Master”.

ST Receiving the 70th (FY2023) Okochi Memorial Technology Award for the Automation of Blast Furnace Operations through the Use of a Cyber-Physical System

JFE Steel’s data science technology progress toward establishing a cyber-physical system in furnace operations was awarded the 70th (FY2023) Okochi Memorial Technology Award, a prize granted for a unique accomplishment in the fields of industrial engineering and production engineering that significantly contributes to academic progress and industrial advancement.

Reducing CO₂ emissions from steelmaking requires increasing the efficiency and stability of blast furnace operations. While blast furnaces have high thermal efficiency, they must be handled by highly skilled operators with special knowledge and experience due to the difficulty of estimating internal conditions that are vulnerable to significant variances in the properties of raw materials and other factors. Furthermore, recently rising demand to reduce CO₂ emissions is increasing the urgency of realizing furnace operations that can be controlled more precisely and reliably than conventional ones.

JFE Steel developed a cyber-physical system that controls and optimizes hot metal temperatures and ventilation inside a blast furnace in real time. The system uses a unique model based on real-time sensor data collected from a blast furnace and estimates hot metal temperatures up to 12 hours in advance while also controlling ventilation using an anomaly detection technology. The system is already in use at JFE Steel’s furnace operations, helping the company to boost labor productivity and reduce CO₂ emissions. JFE Steel plans to implement the system across its entire steelmaking operations as a productivity innovation and to increase operational safety.

ST Verification of the Feasibility of Making Motors 48% Thinner Using Insulated Pure-Iron Powder Denjiro^™

In a project with JFE Techno-Research Corporation and a venture company launched by Shizuoka University and named ARMIS CORPORATION, JFE Steel designed and prototyped a motor using Denjiro^™, the company’s insulated pure-iron powder. The demonstration, also conducted by the three, established the feasibility of making motors 48% thinner and 40% lighter than existing ones while maintaining the same level of horsepower by using this powder.

Demand continues to rise for smaller but higher-performing electric motors for industrial equipment and vehicles. Axial-gap motors, which are thinner than general radial-gap motors, can deliver high power (Figure 1). Unlike radial-gap motors, however, axial-gap motors pose a significant manufacturing challenge by requiring a three-dimensional magnetic core that cannot be made by laminating electrical steel sheets. Meanwhile, a powder magnetic core made by pressure-forming insulated magnetic powder exhibits a magnetic property that is three-dimensionally uniform and can withstand complex shapes. Denjiro^™ is an insulated pure-iron powder product developed and marketed by JFE Steel. The aforementioned three parties designed and prototyped an axial-gap motor using a powder magnetic core made from Denjiro^™ and tested the motor’s performance (Figure 2). The test results showed that motors can be 48% thinner in height and 40% lighter compared to existing units while maintaining the same or higher level of performance (table and Figure 3). In response to these test results, JFE Steel and JFE Techno-Research Corporation launched a new service to support customers with the design of motor parts with a powder magnetic core. At the same time, the companies are now shipping samples of large green compacts for cutting and machining soft magnetic composite cores, as well as prototype soft magnetic composite cores that conform to specific designs.

In addition to developing products to meet customer demand, JFE Steel is going to increase its eco-friendly product lines to assist customers with reducing CO₂ emissions while also promoting technological exchanges with customers, including consultation on the use of technologies and support for prototype production and testing, under the goal of contributing to a sustainable future.

• JFE Steel’s New Insulated Pure-iron Powder for Soft Magnetic Composites Enables Prototype Axial-gap Motor to be Slimmed Down by 48%

ST Introduction of a Test Facility to Develop a Steel Product for Liquid Ammonia Tank Containers

JFE Steel started operating a test facility at the Steel Research Laboratory (Kurashiki District) at the end of October 2023, to evaluate the risk of stress corrosion cracking in steel products that can occur when exposed to liquid ammonia.

Amid growing worldwide initiatives for a decarbonized society, ammonia is expected to serve as an alternative fuel for thermal power generation and shipping, further increasing the importance of establishing supply chains for liquid ammonia, and the demand is rising for high strength steel required for the manufacture of larger liquid ammonia storage tanks.

Liquid ammonia carries the risk of causing stress corrosion cracking (SCC^*) in steel. Generally, higher strength carbon steel is more vulnerable to SCC when exposed to liquid ammonia. Therefore, the risk needs to be properly evaluated during the development of a high-strength steel sheet product. Since liquid ammonia is a toxic and combustible liquefied gas, JFE Steel constructed a new building (Photo 1) for housing the test facility (Figure 1) in accordance with the High Pressure Gas Safety Act, enabling the Steel Research Laboratory to perform electrical and chemical measurements in the building, in addition to evaluating the durability of raw materials against SCC through the use of test pieces soaked in the gas (Figure 2).

JFE Steel plans to make good use of this test facility to both propel the development of steel for ammonia tanks and proactively respond to other social needs, including the standardization of test methods and raw materials. The company will thereby support efforts for increasing green energy sources for a decarbonized society.

• *Stress Corrosion Cracking: Occurs when metal materials are under tensile pressure and exposed to a corrosive environment.

ST Receiving the National Commendation for Invention for an Anti-Weatherability Steel Product that Does Not Require a Paint Finish Even Under Coastal Environmental Conditions

JFE Steel received the FY2024 National Commendation for Invention^*1 for developing an anti-weatherability steel product that does not require a paint finish even for use in coastal settings. In addition to outstanding cost-performance, this product has weatherability nearly as high as the company’s anti-weatherability nickel steel, which is popular as a material for bridges in high-salinity environments. The newly developed steel technology was applied to LALAC^™-HS^*2, an all-weather steel sheet product designed for use in high-salinity environments. LALAC^™-HS already boasts a record of being selected as a material for five bridges in and outside Japan.

The company’s anti-weatherability nickel steel is made with 1–3% additional nickel to achieve the prominent all-weather property, which has however made the product rather expensive. Instead of nickel, this award-winning invention adds a combination of tin and niobium. These elements thicken locally in the bottom layer of rust and form fine rust just as the anti-weatherability nickel steel would do, thereby controlling the permeation of chloride ions, which accelerates corrosion, into the steel (Figure 1). The anti-weather property of tin and niobium performs well even in small amounts thanks to their local thickening and allows a significantly reduced use of nickel, making this invention more affordable than anti-weatherability nickel steel, while exhibiting nearly the same level of weatherability (Figure 2). This newly-developed steel product with high weatherability and outstanding cost performance is expected to significantly reduce life cycle costs for structures by eliminating the need for painting or repainting.

JFE Steel intends to further expand the applications for this new product and develop other steel products with high functionality and quality, thereby increasing the safety and durability of steel bridges and contributing to a sustainable future.

1. *1Sponsored by the Japan Institute of Invention and Innovation (Chairman: Takeshi Uchiyamada). This commendation, which is intended to encourage the advance of science and technology in Japan and support the nation’s industrial development, is given to an invention, idea, or design that has delivered or is expected to deliver significant benefits due to its excellence.
2. *2LALAC^™-HS: Abbreviation for Low Alloyed & Low Atmospheric Corrosion Steel – High Salinity.

ST Receiving the FY2023 Ministry of the Environment Commendation for Action for Climate Change for the Development of an Ultra-Hydraulic Hydrogen Accumulator Using Steel and Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Resin Layers in Combination

JFE Steel’s and JFE Container’s joint “Development of Ultra-Hydraulic Hydrogen Accumulator Using Steel and Carbon Fiber-reinforced Resin Layers in Combination” received the FY2023 Ministry of the Environment Commendation for Action for Climate Change in the Development and Productization (the Mitigation domain) category.

Hydrogen is being studied as a source of energy in a number of fields worldwide because it does not emit CO₂ during combustion. For example, hydrogen stations represent a key component for popularizing its use as a green fuel for vehicles. The incorporation of a hydrogen accumulator for high-pressure storage enables these stations to essentially serve as stationary, large-capacity reservoirs that can quickly fill hydrogen into a vehicle.

This award-winning hydrogen accumulator was designed and is now manufactured by JFE Container using JFE Steel’s ultra-thick seamless steel pipe with high resistance to hydrogen embrittlement. The Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic (CFRP) of Mitsubishi Chemical Group Corporation is also used for the body of the accumulator to support a wide pressure range up to the highest levels in the industry. The accumulator was developed under a project of NEDO (New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization) and has been marketed by JFE Steel since FY2019, after having been authorized by the High Pressure Gas Institute of Japan and specially approved by the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry in FY2018. The product is in use by multiple hydrogen stations around the country and has been recognized for its outstanding performance. It is also used for medium-pressure hydrogen accumulators, high-pressure hydrogen accumulators, and mock containers of the Fukushima Hydrogen Filling Research Center. The research facility was built under another NEDO project and mainly uses hydrogen produced by the adjacent processing facility, Fukushima Hydrogen Energy Research Field (FH2R). It facilitates the development and verification of filling and measurement technologies for large-flow-rate hydrogen for heavy-duty fuel-cell vehicles.

To further popularize the Ultra-Hydraulic Hydrogen Accumulator, JFE Steel is seeking to increase its manufacturing capacity and further developing the product to increase its internal volume, pressure range, and amplitude cycles to meet specifications likely to be requested as hydrogen stations become more popular for filling up fuel cell buses and trucks.

ST The Company’s Proprietary Wall Bending and Restrike Method Selected for Production of Parts Supplied to a Major Japanese Automaker —Development of a Forming Method to Suppress the Springback of Ultra-High Tensile Steel Sheets

ST The Company’s Proprietary Forming Technologies for Ultra-High Tensile Steel Sheets Adopted and Used for the Production of Parts for Suzuki Swift— An Inflow Control Method for Reducing Wrinkles around Pressed Areas and the Stress Reverse Forming™ Method for Reducing Variation in Dimensional Accuracies

JFE Steel’s inflow control method and the Stress Reverse Forming^™ Method were adopted and have been used for the production of three front bumper parts for Suzuki Swift to reduce the formation of wrinkles at pressed areas of 980–1,180 MPa class, ultra-high tensile steel sheets and reduce variation in dimensional accuracies.

JFE Steel has provided customers with ultra-high tensile steel sheets to meet rising demand due to the need for lighter weight vehicles to reduce CO₂ emissions and raise fuel efficiency. When press-formed into a curvature shape, press wrinkles form on the steel sheets and the sheets tend to springback to their original shape; both conditions need to be corrected.

While contributing to vehicle weight reduction, ultra-high tensile steel sheets are susceptible to press wrinkles, mold damage, and shape variation, and all these issues are more likely to occur with thicker, stronger steel sheets, a factor that has inhibited the wider application of ultra-high tensile steel sheets. JFE Steel’s inflow control method is capable of reducing the formation of press wrinkles, particularly those around the flanges of pressed areas, by optimizing the inflow of materials at multiple press-forming processes.

The Stress Reverse Forming^™ Method is designed to reduce variation in the scale of springback (or variation in dimensional accuracies), which increases as ultra-high tensile steel sheets have higher levels of strength. When press-formed, ultra-high tensile steel sheets are more susceptible to springback and to large variation in strength intensities than regular steel sheets. The Stress Reverse Forming^™ Method uses the Bauschinger Effect, or the mechanical phenomenon in which deformation stress in steel sheets decreases immediately after the direction of the deformation is reversed. This method enables customers to stabilize their production of press parts even if there are changes in the intensities of steel sheets.

The front bumper parts for which these two methods are used are manufactured by Okamoto Press Industry, Co., Ltd. In fact, both the inflow control method and the Stress Reverse Forming^™ Method were jointly developed by Okamoto and JFE Steel.

JFE Steel is actively working on what it calls Early Vendor Involvement (EVI), an activity beyond the supply of raw materials, to provide customers with solutions to help them develop new products and increase the performance of existing ones. JFE Steel is developing various steel application technologies to offer comprehensive solutions, including a systematized solution called JESOLVA^™, which is short for JFE Excellent Solution for Vehicle Application. JFE Steel strives to broaden the application of its ultra-high tensile steel sheets and help customers boost the performance and trim the weight of their vehicles to contribute to a sustainable future.

ST Ultra-High Tensile Steel Sheet Product Adopted for the First time as a Material for a Hybrid EV Battery Module Component

The 980 MPa class galvanized steel sheet was the first of JFE Steel’s ultra-high tensile steel sheet products to be selected and used as a material for a lithium-ion battery module frame used in hybrid EVs.

A vehicle battery pack is comprised of multiple battery cells and bound with a steel frame to achieve a high power output. The frame must have a high bonding force to prevent the battery from swelling and from losing performance due to heat during use, and thus there has been demand for a high strength steel sheet. However, high-strength steel sheets are known to be susceptible to fracture when formed by bending. This process is required to minimize the curvature of the folding area of the frame to almost a 90-degree angle and thereby shrink the size of the battery module.

This issue can now be resolved with the use of a press-forming method using CAE^* and product specs developed by J-MAX Co., Ltd. , both of which have enabled the use of JFE Steel’s 980 MPa class, galvanized steel sheet that has the high processability suitable for a battery module frame on hybrid EVs. This galvanized steel sheet is a product of the JEFORMA^™ series, a lineup of steel sheets with high strength and high bending formability, properties achieved by optimizing the metallographic structure of the steel sheet through intricate temperature control at the continuous galvanizing facility of the West Japan Works (Fukuyama District). JFE Steel is seeking to expand the application of this galvanized steel sheet and will develop products and methods that will also satisfy customer needs. JFE Steel will contribute to a sustainable future by supporting customers in their development of safe, eco-friendly vehicles with lower CO₂ emissions and higher performance.

• *Computer-Aided Engineering. A design tool using computer simulation.

EN JFE Engineering’s Commitment through Its Business

With the corporate purpose “Foundation of Life—Just For the Earth” in mind, JFE Engineering is committed to achieving the SDGs in five areas: waste to resources, carbon neutrality, combined utility services, infrastructure, and digital transformation (DX).

Waste to resources businesses include food recycling, plastic recycling, and waste incineration/power generation. Businesses related to carbon neutrality focus on renewable energies, such as offshore wind, solar, biomass, geothermal, and hydroelectric power generation. Combined utility services offered by the company include utility services (e.g., water, electricity, gas) that address regional concerns by launching new local electric power companies and offering heat supply services. The company’s infrastructure business constructs bridges, gas plants, waterworks plants, pipelines, and other infrastructure by identifying needs such as robustness and longer service life. The DX project involves improving the efficiency of daily work as well as providing products and services that leverage digital technologies such as AI and IoT.

• JFE GROUP REPORT 2021 (PP. 43–44)
• JFE Engineering’s Five Fields in the Medium- to Long-term Strategy
• JFE Engineering DX Strategy

EN The Energy Forest Project (Demonstration Project for Creating Stable and Effective Supply Systems for Woody Biomass Fuel)

• The Town of Uni and JFE Engineering Enter into an Agreement Concerning the Energy Forest Demonstration Project

Eco-friendly Processes, Products, and Technologies that Were Upgraded

ST Certification by SuMPO’s EcoLeaf Environmental Labeling Program

• SuMPO Environmental Labeling Program

ST Ferro-Coke

ST R&D into Line Pipe for Transporting High-Pressure Hydrogen Gas (Selected for Inclusion in the Nippon Foundation), and DeepStar Joint Research & Development Program Phase II

ST Steel Slag Hydrated Matrix

Steel slag hydrated matrix is a steel slag product that can be used as a substitute for concrete but uses ground granulated blast furnace slag instead of cement, and steel slag instead of natural gravel and sand aggregate, as its ingredients. It effectively uses steel slag and does not rely on natural aggregate, thereby reducing environmental impact, and uses less cement, in turn reducing CO₂ emissions.

There are many examples of blocks and artificial stones made from steel slag hydrated matrix being used as a substitute for concrete blocks and natural stones in harbor works, apart from the expected application for scour-prevention at the growing number of offshore wind-power stations to be constructed in the near future. In addition, we are conducting on-site monitoring in the Katsunan Central Zone of Chiba Port with the help of a local fishing association to assess the impact of these blocks on marine biodiversity.

ST Initiatives for Blue Carbon Using Steel Slag Products and Acquisition of J Blue Credit™

In recent years, research on blue carbon (carbon absorbed and stored by living organisms in the ocean) has been advancing. JFE Steel has been participating in the research by creating a seaweed bed using steel slag products and measuring the amount of carbon captured by the entire bed.

The company has been collaborating with Koujiro Fisheries Cooperative (Iwakuni City, Yamaguchi) and the National Institute of Technology, Ube College (Ube City, Yamaguchi) on a project to create a seaweed bed and ecosystem using recycled materials at areas around Shinto, Iwakuni City, since FY2012. The initiative involves creating a seaweed bed with rich biodiversity using Marine Stone^™, a grain-size-adjusted steel slag, and other steel slag products, and measuring CO₂ absorption of the created beds. The cumulative amount of CO₂ absorbed and stored from 2018 to 2022, which totaled 80.7 tonnes, received J Blue Credit^™ certification by the Japan Blue Economy Association. This was the first certification ever given to a three-party joint project by the Fisheries Cooperative, academia, and private business. The seaweed bed created through the project had the co-benefits of offering a gathering place for diverse fish. The sea area is also useful for education and research.

This initiative was highly regarded, and its members and JFE Steel received the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Prize for the 32nd Global Environment Award^*, sponsored by the Fujisankei Communications Group in 2024.

• *The Global Environment Award recognizes environmental preservation and related efforts that will help establish a circular society for a “harmonic coexistence between industrial development and the environment of the Earth.”

• The 32nd Global Environment Award (Japanese only)

SH Building a Supply Chain for the Offshore Wind Power Generation Industry

Initiatives toward carbon neutrality are expanding around the world to tackle the shared issue of climate change. Japan has set its goal to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 and formulated the Sixth Strategic Energy Plan in 2021 to lay out strategies to that end. These ambitious strategies include reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 46% in FY2030, boosting renewable energy in its electricity mix to 36–38%, and increasing the ratio of wind in the renewable energy mix to 5% (generating capacity of 23.6 GW) compared to the 0.9% (generating capacity of 4.5 GW) in FY2019.

As for offshore wind power generation, the industry is expected to expand, as targets were set to accept proposals to build 10 GW capacity by 2030 and 30–45 GW by 2040, and the commercialization of those proposals is in progress. Moreover, as is seen in the selection of a demonstration project for floating offshore wind-power generation as a Green Innovation Fund Project, efforts are underway to adopt many internationally competitive technologies.

JFE Shoji is collaborating with a local enterprise that manufactures the wind turbine foundations in Taiwan, which is leading in the offshore wind power generation market, and have been achieving progress regarding supply chain of steel materials for foundation structures. Looking ahead, the company will capitalize on the knowledge acquired and contribute to the realization of carbon neutrality by establishing a supply chain that supports the domestic production of goods and the local economy while also meeting customer demand in the offshore wind power generation industry in Japan.

Major Eco-Friendly Processes, Products, and Technologies in the Past

ST Technology for Optimized Combustion of a Coke Furnace

ST Fuel and Power Operation Guidance System for Steelworks

• JFE Steel receives Academic Award (Technical Division) of the 2022 Japan Institute of Energy Award (Japanese only)

ST Resource Saving Silicon-Gradient Steel Sheet

• Received the 2022 Award for Science and Technology from the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology under the science and technology field (development category). (Japanese only)
• External Awards

ST Anti-Fatigue-Damage Steel for Increased Bridge Safety (AFD™ Steel)

• Developed thin, fatigue-resistant steel for steel structures

ST Extra-Thick, High-Strength Steel Plate for the Materialization of Large Container Ships

The world’s thickest crack arrest steel plate^*1, developed by JFE Steel, is applicable to large container ships, with its 460 MPa class yield strength and a thickness of 100 mm. The technology is the first in the world to satisfy two different properties in the extra-thick steel plate: weldability and crack arrestability. Container ships are designed with wide open areas at the top of the deck. Since the hull is exposed to heavy wave force throughout the voyage, the top of the deck and the side of the hull (hatch side coaming) must be built with steel that is thick with high strength. In response to the recent trend of upsizing container ships for more efficient transportation, the thickness of steel plates has increased from 50 mm to 100 mm, with an expected yield strength of 460 MPa. At the same time, an excellent crack-arrest property is required to prevent the propagation of brittle crack. To ensure the safety of hulls that are rapidly becoming larger, the International Association of Classification Societies mandated that all 80 mm to 100 mm class thickness steel used in hatch side coaming must have at least 8,000 N/mm^3/2 arrest toughness (Kca). Using TMCP technology^*2, JFE Steel precisely controlled the heating and rolling temperatures and established a proprietary technology that increases the crystallization ratio in the central part of the steel plate’s thickness, helping ensure high brittle crack arrestability in the world’s thickest, 100 mm, high-strength steel plate.

The development of this technology received the 2023 Award for Science and Technology from the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology under the development category of the science and technology field for significantly contributing to the materialization of ultra-large container ships. It has been awarded many other prizes including the 2018 Invention Prize of National Commendation for Invention and the 2019 Okochi Memorial Prize. We will continue to improve the economic efficiency, safety, and reliability of vessels by providing high-performance, high-quality steel material while meeting the diversified needs of customers and also addressing global environmental concerns, and contributing to the realization of a sustainable society.

1. *1A steel plate with excellent performance in minimizing vessel damage by stopping brittle crack propagation in the event of weld cracking.
2. *2A thermo-mechanical control process technology that improves the strength and toughness of steel material in an online process using controlled rolling and accelerated cooling systems.

• Received the Award for Science and Technology from the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology under the science and technology field (development category)(Japanese only)

ST Calcia Improvement Material

Calcia improvement material is a slag product that uses converter-type steelmaking slag as raw material and is manufactured by controlling the composition and adjusting particle size. Dredged soil mixed with calcia improvement material is called calcia improvement soil, which is stronger than the original weak dredged soil and is therefore able to prevent dredged soil from dissipating into the surrounding area and having a negative environmental impact placed in water.

This enables the effective use of weak dredged soil in land reclamation, shoal and tideland construction, and refilling former dredging sites. Calcia improvement soil has been used to construct a mid-section submerged breakwater^* (Shin Honmoku Pier, Port of Yokohama), the main embankment material for creating a shallow area (incidental facilities at the sediment disposal site, Tokuyama-Kudamatsu Port) and backfilling material for an earthquake-resistant quay wall in the Mino offshore area, Fukuyama Port.

• *An embankment built under the water surface on the inside of a perimeter wall to divide the land into sections for reclamation.

ST Precast Concrete Products Mixed with Finely Ground Blast Furnace Slag

ST Use of Granulated Blast Furnace Slag to Reduce CO₂ Emissions

ST Restoring Marine Ecosystems Using Steel Slag Products

Marine Stone^™ is a grain-size-adjusted steel slag that controls the generation of hydrogen sulfide from the silty sediment in enclosed coastal seas and improves the environment in which organisms can live. Its effectiveness in improving marine environments is widely recognized, and the joint project with Hiroshima University has received external commendations.

Frontier Rock^™ is another steel slag product that consists of artificial stones made from steel slag hydrated matrix and provides an excellent base for seaweed beds and fishing reefs. A submerged bank built on the seabed off the coast of Minami- Izu Town, Shizuoka Prefecture, has become a gathering place for large perennial seaweeds as well as useful fishery resources such as lobsters, turban shells, and a wide variety of fish. We are also testing the effects of Marine Block^™ as beds for corals.

ST JFE Steel and Tohoku University’s Collaborative Research Laboratory for Green Steel

• JFE Steel and Tohoku Univ. Establish Collaborative Research Lab for Green Steel

EN Carbon Neutrality Collaborative Research Center Established with the Tokyo Institute of Technology

• JFE Engineering and Tokyo Institute of Technology establishes JFE Engineering Carbon Neutrality Collaborative Research Center (Japanese only)

SH Expanding Business in Biomass Fuels

JFE Shoji imports fuels such as palm kernel shells (PKS) to Japan from Malaysia and Indonesia and wood pellets from Southeast Asian countries as fuel supplies for domestic biomass power plants.

PKS and wood pellets serve as carbon neutral fuel sources by absorbing CO₂ as they grow. JFE Shoji is working to procure biomass fuel through a process that is environmentally and socially sound, thereby maintaining a sustainable business model. Additionally, the company launched alternative fuel initiatives for exiting the use of coal as it strives to become an environmentally sound company.

SH Expansion of Scrap Trading to Support the Development of a Recycling-Oriented Society

JFE Shoji engages in a recycling business for steel and aluminum scrap. Demand for steel scrap is particularly expected to grow in Japan and overseas as the global community advances toward carbon neutrality. JFE Shoji will contribute to building a recycling-oriented society by increasing scrap recycling across the globe.