Efficient utilization of Indian Coking Coal: Opportunities and challenges

The preservation of coking coal and the reduction of coke cost are gaining much importance in iron and steel industry. An effort is being made worldwide to maximize the use of inferior quality of coking coal in coke making without sacrificing the coke quality to minimize the coke cost. In general, Indian coking coals contain lower content of vitrinite (≤ 50%) and higher content of ash (≥15%) as compared to imported coking coal. Indian coking coals have poor washability characteristics also. Therefore, for making coal blend for coke making, selection of an appropriate proportion of Indian coking coals with imported coking coals is a major challenge for Indian steel industries. Proper selection of Indian coal not only reduces the coking coal import but also minimizes the coal blend cost with added benefits of the increase in the captive mine life. This paper touches the opportunities and challenges for efficient utilization of Indian coking coal as a component in the coal blend to produce the desired quality of coke. (authors)