Lime Removes Steel Impurities at Björneborg Steel

In the steel industry, lime is used as a slag former to remove impurities from the melt. Björneborg Steel in Värmland is one of many steel manufacturers that regularly source their lime from SMA Mineral.

THE SCENT OF STEEL greets us as soon as we reach the gatehouse—a faint smell of metal and heat that grows stronger as we approach the forge and furnaces. And steel has lingered in the air here for a long time. In Björneborg, steel has played a central role since the mid-1600s.

- Already in 1656, the first forging operations began in Björneborg, says Peder Thunander, Logistics and Purchasing Manager. At that time, two bar iron hammers pounded away down by the Visman River, which flows through the town.

A lot has changed since then. The business has steadily grown, and several owners have come and gone over the years, leading to the current ownership structure. Since 2019, the company has been run by an industrial consortium with Värmland-based stakeholders.

Johanna Hallén and Peder Thunander

BJÖRNEBORG STEEL is today a modern, fully integrated open-die forge with customers all over the world. The company melts, forges, and heat-treats over 30,000 tons of steel annually—covering a wide range of steel grades and formulations—into customized, tailor-made components.

- What leaves our facility is either fully machined products from our plant in Höje or semi-finished products that the end customer completes, says Peder Thunander. Our customers operate in various industries, but we categorize our key market segments as Steel, Energy, Industry, Marine, and Defense.

LIME HAS BEEN a fundamental requirement for operations ever since the company invested in electric arc furnace technology in 1958. The collaboration with SMA Mineral is therefore deeply established.

— Oh yes, we know each other well by now, says Johanna Hallén, Steelworks Manager at Björneborg Steel. SMA Mineral has been our partner for many years.

Lime is added at several stages of the production process and is used as a slag former during melting.

— Lime binds substances that need to be removed from the steel and thus facilitates the transfer of impurities from the melt to the slag, explains Johanna Hallén. During melting in our electric arc and ladle furnace, the lime forms a slag layer that attracts unwanted elements. Lime is also used in the subsequent vacuum treatment.

PRACTICALLY SPEAKING, lime is delivered according to our consumption rate to a silo located next to the steelworks. Lime levels are continuously monitored via remote surveillance to prevent downtime and disruptions in scheduled deliveries.

— Consumption volumes can vary over time, but in a normal week, we use about 25 tons. As a backup, we also always keep a stock of lime bags that can be used if needed, says Johanna Hallén. Once on-site, the lime is mixed with other slag formers to achieve the properties required for different steel grades.

AT BJÖRNEBORG STEEL, the collaboration is seen in a completely positive light.

— We have a good dialogue, and SMA Mineral handles deliveries in the best possible way. We also appreciate that they take environmental issues seriously through their ZEQL initiative. We ourselves have a strong focus on sustainability and fossil-free production through our GreenForge® concept. That’s why we place high demands on our suppliers, concludes Peder Thunander.

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Lime Removes Steel Impurities at Björneborg Steel

In the steel industry, lime is used as a slag former to remove impurities from the melt. Björneborg Steel in Värmland is one of many steel manufacturers that regularly source their lime from SMA Mineral.

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