A long-life wear liner plate featuring a chromium carbide overlay that is said to outlast quenched and tempered products by a factor of eight, offers significantly reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, with a carbon footprint seven times smaller per application, translating into an 80% reduction.

The steel industry is among the top three producers of carbon dioxide (CO₂), seen as a major contributor to climate change. The World Steel Association (WSA) reports that every ton of steel produced in 2019 emitted approximately three tonnes of CO2 on average, equivalent to about 8% of global CO₂ emissions.

Rio-Carb states that it is for this reason that it has aligned itself with the ISO 14001 environmental management system to benchmark its manufacturing processes. It aims to manufacture R-C700 long-life wear liners that conform to the highest possible quality standards, from the stainless steel studs to the Rapid Removal system, tight cutting tolerances and ease of movement, coupled with plasma-etched part numbers for easy identification and replacement.

“An important criterion for ISO 14001 is resource conservation. Our long-life wear solutions play a critical role in boosting materials-handling efficiency and cost-effectiveness,” comments Rio-Carb marketing and branding director Jabulile Mlambo.

The WSA highlights that recycling steel plates produces three times the mass in GHG, or three tonnes for every kilogram of steel that is melted. Thus on a chute with 1 000 t of R-C700 liners, the total lifespan saving in terms of GHG is an astonishing 21 tonnes.

“An indirect benefit due to its immediate and obvious carbon reduction is that transportation of all implied products is reduced by the same factor, thus saving significantly on indirect emissions,” comments Rio-Carb design engineer Roshalan Govender.

In addition, the original-equipment manufacturer intends to implement ISO 14062, which focuses on concepts and current practices relating to the integration of environmental aspects into product design and development. “Such standards offer an environmentally-positive option to the mining, steel and cement industries, all of which are under severe pressure from both shareholders and the government to drastically reduce their carbon footprint,” explains Mlambo.

Rio-Carb has launched a campaign to broaden industry awareness of the negative impact of GHG and how this risk can best be mitigated. All R-C700 wear plates produced by Rio-Carb will carry a green four-sided logo to illustrate the reduce, reuse and recycle concepts.