Weerulin: Greenfractory

WEE are green

Refractory is going green and Weerulin leading the way. Through our group-wide GREENfractory innovations, we are dedicated to promoting energy efficiency and environmental protection within the world of refractory products and processes.

Transitioning from black Steel to green Steel presents a significant challenge for the steel industry. Weerulin stands by your side on this transformative journey. As a forward-looking partner to the steel industry, we are committed to reducing the CO₂-footprint of our refractory products.

GREENfractory Innovations by Weerulin:

E-mould – powered by electricity instead of gas
Turbo Start - start casting without preheating
Ultra-light magnesite - material savings of 20%
Olivine - the green mineral
DV-Recycling – dry vib mixes in circular use

E-mould

The patented E-mould revolutionizes the heating of dry vibe masses in the steel tundish by using electricity instead of gas. This innovative technology achieves up to 70% energy savings compared to conventional baking processes involving hot air or open flames. By conducting current directly on the surface of the mould and converting it into heat through a specialized arrangement of insulators and resistance regulators, our E-mould ensures maximum efficiency through direct energy input. This solution is particularly advantageous for electric steel plants.

The baking process with E-mould technology only takes 10-15 minutes. That is just a fraction of the 60-120 minutes required by the gas-based heating processes. Not only does E-mould save valuable time in steel production, but it also enhances the availability of all steel tundishes in use. We are excited to announce that E-mould will soon be going live in a German electric steel plant.

Discover more about E-mould.

Turbo Start of Tundish

Turbo Start is a Weerulin-developed technology that enables the continuous casting process to commence without the need to preheat the tundish. Turbo Start has been deployed by leading steel producers for more than 10 years, with proven advantages. It eliminates the requirement for drying devices and, consequently, the fossil fuel energy input. This results in shorter turnaround times and increased tundish availability. Additionally, it leads to a measurable improvement in refractoriness.

The key to Turbo Start is the use of specially formulated wet spray mixes that enable optimal evaporation of residual moisture through a complex fibre system, designed for the process conditions of continuous casting. The advantages include: up to 80m³ of gas saved per tundish turnaround; 50% time saving in tundish preparation; and a 30% reduction in crane movements.

Discover more about Turbo Start / wet spray mixes in the Tundish

Ultra-Light Dry Vib mixes

The use of ultra-light magnesites in dry vibe mixes can reduce the consumption of refractory mixes in the steel tundish by up to 20%. Weerulin employs cutting-edge technology to incorporate ultra-light magnesites with outstanding performance as dry vibe mixes in the steel tundish. Our raw materials are processed through resource-saving methods, avoiding the use of fossil fuels and opting for rapidly renewable plants.

Precise knowledge of the granulometry of our raw materials allows us to adjust the sieving curve of the product, creating an ideal ball packing and achieving up to 20% lower consumption. The result is lower cost per tonne of steel, reduced raw material consumption, and decreased energy usage.

Discover more about our ultra-light dry vibe mixes in the Tundish

Olivine - The Green Mineral

Olivine isn’t just green to look at, it is also green in nature. Olivine is more environmentally friendly than magnesite, because it doesn’t need to be burned to be used. By avoiding calcination Olivine leads to a reduction of almost 3 tonnes of CO₂ per tonne compared with magnesite. With an average consumption of about 1-2 kg of refractory per tonne of steel in the steel tundish alone, this substitution can result in a saving of up to 20,000 tonnes of CO₂ per year in the tundish lining sector of large steel plants. Furthermore, its lower bulk density compared to magnesite leads to significant saving in consumption in dry vibe mixes.

Olivine is sourced from plentiful European raw material sources, ensuring a sustainable supply. Its transportation to our mixing plant in Germany is significantly shorter compared with the transport of magnesite from China, resulting in reduced fossil fuel consumption during shipping. Metallurgically, olivine is suitable for even the highest steel grades. Leading steel manufacturers in Europe have relied on olivine in their steel tundishes for years. We encourage you to also embrace this environmentally friendly mineral!

Discover more about using olivine as a raw material in the steel Tundish

Dry-Vibe-Recycling

Recycling is the cornerstone of all sustainable production processes. Our dry vibe mixes can be recycled after their use in steel plants and reintroduced into the refractory cycle as dry vibe mix. Each year, we collect thousands of tonnes of used refractories from customers and process them either on-site or at an external recycling facility, transforming them into dry vibe mixes, that are just as effective and pure as the virgin mix

The recycling rate for this product group exceeds 80%. The result is a sustainable process, lower material costs, and a reduced CO₂ footprint. Recycling pays off — even in your steel tundish.

Discover more about recycling of granulated materials.