Electric steelworks
Environmental protection : Technology

If no special precautions were taken to protect the environment, the arc furnace would be the source of several types of pollution and nuisance:

• air pollution from fumes emitted throughout the cycle: dust, heavy metals, organic pollutants ;

• water pollution from cooling circuits ;

• pollution of water and soil by co-products and waste: slag, dust, etc. ;

• odors (from scrap preheating) ;

• noise for workers and the environment.

In fact, the vast majority of arc furnaces are equipped to eliminate or limit such pollution and nuisances (§ 7.1