Fused Magnesia Supports Green Steelmaking Upgrade for a Leading Korean Steel Producer

Project Overview

A leading Korean steel group, recognized globally for high-end specialty steel production, was accelerating its transition toward greener steelmaking. As its Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) operations expanded, the company needed premium fused magnesia for magnesia-carbon brick production with stricter requirements on purity, stability, environmental compliance, and furnace lining durability.

Kuanxiang delivered a customized fused magnesia solution that helped the customer improve refractory performance, extend furnace lining life, reduce downtime, and support its sustainability goals.

The Challenge

The customer required fused magnesia raw materials that could meet several critical performance and compliance targets at the same time:

• Low impurity content for more stable refractory performance
• High consistency to support large-scale magnesia-carbon brick production
• Compliance with green and low-carbon steelmaking standards
• Furnace lining service life of at least 500 heats
• Better resistance to slag erosion and thermal stress
• Reduced frequency of furnace lining replacement and production interruptions

Previously, the customer had experienced insufficient erosion resistance in its refractory system, which led to frequent relining, lower operating efficiency, and higher maintenance pressure.

Our Solution

Backed by Haicheng’s world-class magnesite resources, with MgO content of 46% or above, Kuanxiang supplied a customized FM 97 fused magnesia solution tailored to the customer’s EAF steelmaking application.

1. High-Purity Production Process

We adopted a strict production route combining:

• refined raw material selection
• 2800°C high-temperature fusion
• precise grading and processing

This enabled us to control the total content of impurities such as SiO₂ and Fe₂O₃ to below 0.8%, while maintaining a bulk density above 3.40 g/cm³ for stable product performance.

2. Technical Support for Brick Manufacturing

Beyond raw material supply, Kuanxiang provided technical support throughout the magnesia-carbon brick production process. By optimizing raw material ratios and application parameters, we helped the customer improve:

• thermal shock resistance
• slag resistance
• overall refractory stability in EAF conditions

3. Reliable Delivery and Export Compliance

To ensure supply efficiency, we established a dedicated logistics route from Dalian Port to Busan Port, enabling fast and stable delivery. We also provided a complete set of export documentation, including:

• Certificate of Origin
• Quality Inspection Report
• other required export compliance documents

Results

After switching to magnesia-carbon bricks produced with Kuanxiang fused magnesia, the customer achieved significant operational improvements:

• Furnace lining life increased from 420 heats to 530 heats
• Downtime for relining reduced by 30%
• Annual production capacity increased by approximately 8%
• Harmful gas emissions during steelmaking reduced by 12%

These improvements helped the customer successfully advance its green steelmaking objectives while enhancing production efficiency and cost performance.

Long-Term Partnership

Following the success of the project, Kuanxiang became one of the customer’s key fused magnesia suppliers in China. The two sides established a long-term strategic partnership, with annual procurement volume remaining stable at over 20,000 tons.