Environment and Energy

EPA Proposes New Standards for EAF and AOD Steelmaking

Written by Laura Miller

May 16, 2022

The US Environmental Protection Agency has proposed new and revised standards of performance for electric arc furnace (EAF) and argon-oxygen decarburization (AOD) vessels used in the steel industry.

EAF scrap charging

The proposed standards would apply to all new EAF facilities constructed after May 16, 2022. The standards suggest limiting total particulate matter (PM) emissions from all pollution control devises installed on EAF and AOD vessels to 79 milligrams PM per kilogram steel (or 0.16lbs PM per ton of steel produced). Visible emissions from EAF and AOD that exit the melt shops would be limited to an opacity of 0% during all phases of operations.

The EPA has also proposed that all emission limits apply at all times, that mandatory compliance testing occurs at least once every five years, and that reporting electronically.

Amendments for certain provisions in the standards have been proposed for EAFs constructed between Oct. 21, 1974, and Aug. 17, 1983, and for EAF and AOD vessels constructed between Aug. 17, 1983, and May 16, 2022.

The EPA is seeking comments on the proposed standards, with a deadline of July 15. A virtual public hearing will also be held if one is requested before May 23.

By Laura Miller, Laura@SteelMarketUpdate.com

Laura Miller

Laura Miller is a reporter and editor for Steel Market Update. She has held a variety of positions within the steel industry since 2007, including reporting and editing for Steel Business Briefing/Platts, the Association for Iron and Steel Technology, and Kallanish Commodities, as well as marketing for what was then known as ThyssenKrupp Steel USA (now AM/NS Calvert). After a five-year hiatus working across other industries, she returned to steel in 2021 and has covered the flat rolled, tubular, and trade areas of the industry. She is a member of the Association of Women in the Metal Industries and a past-president of the AWMI Pittsburgh Chapter. She holds a BA in Latin American Studies from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. She can be reached at laura@steelmarketupdate.com or 724-759-7869.

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