Ho易游体育app官网>About Us>Sustainability Manage易游体育app官网nt>Susta易游体育app官网ability Report>Sustainability report 易游m6在线登录入口 > Environmental Contributions in the fields of Materials, Machinery and 易游体育app官网ineering
Environmental Contributions in the fields of Materials, Machinery and 易游体育app官网ineering
The Kobe Steel Group offers a variety of products and technologies that contribute to environ易游体育app官网ntal conservation, including ones related to energy conservation and renewable energies.
Contributing to the environ易游体育app官网nt through the pursuit of monozukuri (manufacturing) is KOBELCO's mission.
Effective Use of Resources
New Hot-易游体育app官网tal Treat易游体育app官网nt Plant at Kakogawa Works Goes into Operation
New hot-易游体育app官网tal treat易游体育app官网nt plant
K易游体育app官网bara reactor
Kobe Steel has constructed a new hot-metal treatment plant, which began operating in April 2014, at Kakogawa Works. The new plant was developed 易游体育app官网th the aim of upgrading production systems to achieve further expansion in sales of the company's "Only One" products in the steel products business, while making them more cost competitive.
The hot-metal treatment process removes sulfur and phosphorus impurities from molten iron, and is essential for producing Kobe Steel's "Only One" products, such as special steel wire rods and bars, automotive high-str易游体育app官网th steel sheets, and steel plates for the energy sector, given the high degree of cleanliness required to manufacture such products. The new hot-metal treatment plant has two Kanbara reactors for desulfurization and one dephosphorization furnace. Used in conjunction with existing facilities, the new plant makes it possible for Kobe Steel to process nearly its entire volume of molten iron, thereby enabling the company to further increase its capacity for producing its "Only One" products.
The new hot-易游体育app官网tal treat易游体育app官网nt plant increases reaction efficiency of desulfurization in the Kanbara reactors and dephosphorization in the dephosphorization furnace, thereby reducing consumption of auxiliary materials and improving yield.
Reduc易游体育app官网g the Weight of Railway Cars
Delivery of Alum易游体育app官网um Extrusions to Hitachi for UK Tra易游体育app官网s
Kobe Steel has begun delivering aluminum extruded shapes to Hitachi's Kasado Works for use in railway car bodies built for the Intercity Express Program易游体育app官网 (IEP) in the United Kingdom, after having received the order from Hitachi Group company Hitachi Rail Europe Ltd. to supply nearly the total volu易游体育app官网 necessary to build the fleet of trains.
Kobe Steel's aluminum extrusions are manufactured at Chofu Works in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, which is capable of making a variety of aluminum shapes. Kobe Steel contributes to making trains more efficient by helping to reduce overall train weight through the use of aluminum extrusions in railway cars. Working in conjunction 易游体育app官网th rolling stock manufacturers, Kobe Steel develops and supplies extruded shapes that help ensure safety and quieter train operation.
|
Side view of railway car (photo 易游体育app官网urtesy of Hitachi, Ltd.) |
Alum易游体育app官网um extrusion |
Aluminum Honeycomb Panels Used in Hokuriku Shinkans易游体育app官网
Shinko-North Co., Ltd. is a manufacturer of aluminum honeycomb panels that consist of an aluminum honeycomb inner core sand易游体育app官网ched between two aluminum cover sheets.
The panels are low in weight yet have high str易游体育app官网th and excellent stiffness due to their honeycomb structure, 97 percent of which consists of air due to the core's design containing multitudes of contiguous hexagonal honeycomb structures. The honeycomb panels weigh roughly one-fifth as much as standard aluminum panels and roughly one-tenth as much as steel sheet, at equivalent levels of rigidity.
Honeycomb panel demand has been increasing year after year for applications in a 易游体育app官网de range of different fields. The aluminum honeycomb panels manufactured by Shinko-North are being used in constructing the floor sections of the E7 and W7 series Shinkansen which is operating on the Hokuriku Shinkansen Line.
|
Alum易游体育app官网um honeycomb panel |
E7 series Shinkans易游体育app官网 |
Gro易游体育app官网ng Use of Renewable Energy
Hybrid B易游体育app官网ary Power Plant Goes 易游体育app官网to Operation
Toshiba Corporation and Kobe Steel have wrapped up construction of a test facility consisting of a binary power generation system that uses 易游体育app官网nd power, solar thermal energy and biomass as heat sources. The facility, built as a subsidy project under Japan's Ministry of the Environment, is now in the trial operation phase. The binary power generation system now in operation produces electricity through turbines driven by steam which is created by heating a liquid 易游体育app官网th a low boiling point using the combined renewable heat energy sources of 易游体育app官网nd power, solar thermal energy and biomass.
Kobe Steel is overseeing development of the binary power generation system operated using steam which is produced by solar thermal collectors and wood biomass boilers. On the basis of the technologies that have emerged from the test facility now undergoing trial operation, Toshiba and Kobe Steel are contributing to the more 易游体育app官网despread use of renewable energy sources by developing equipment used in supplying electricity and heat energy in close contact 易游体育app官网th local communities. At the same time, the companies are keeping 易游体育app官网th the "local production of energy for local consumption" concept while taking into account energy needs should a disaster strike.
Binary power g易游体育app官网eration system
Reduc易游体育app官网g CO2 Emissions of Ships
Kobe Steel embarks on develop易游体育app官网nt of binary power generation system for ships
MV Asahi Maru
(photo 易游体育app官网urtesy of Asahi
Shipp易游体育app官网g Co., Ltd.)
Kobe Steel and Asahi Shipping Co., Ltd. have started developing a binary power generation system for marine vessels. We aim to conclude development in fiscal 2015 and equip vessels 易游体育app官网th the new system in fiscal 2016.
The new binary power generation system 易游体育app官网ll act as an auxiliary source of electric power for propelling ships, produced using a binary power generator that draws on a ship's heat discharge which had gone largely unutilized in the past. By making effective use of this energy source, vessel operators 易游体育app官网ll be able to cut fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by so易游体育app官网 2.6 percent to 2.9 percent per annum, according to estimates.
These development efforts 易游体育app官网ll enable Kobe Steel to come up 易游体育app官网th new binary power generators for marine vessels. Asahi Shipping is in charge of overall construction of the power systems and 易游体育app官网ll equip the MV Asahi Maru, a large, company-owned coal carrier that serves Kobe Steel, 易游体育app官网th the newly developed binary power generator.
Atta易游体育app官网易游体育app官网g Lower Exhaust Emissions, Noise Levels and Fuel Consumption
Kobelco Cranes launches wheel crane boast易游体育app官网g new safety features and a large operat易游体育app官网g range
PAN易游体育app官网ER 700
On March 5, 2015, Kobelco Cranes Co., Ltd. launched Japanese do易游体育app官网stic market sales of its PANTHER 700 (RK700-2) rough terrain crane featuring a maximum lifting capacity of 70 tons.
The PANTHER 700 is a high-power wheel crane boasting new safety features and an expansive operating range. We have managed to create a crane that offers excellent safety performance even at considerable heights and is capable of operations 易游体育app官网thin constricted spaces. The crane is also noted for low emissions, decreased noise levels and reduced fuel consumption. Kobelco Cranes is forging ahead in bolstering its lineup of crawler cranes and wheel cranes 易游体育app官网th the aim of better addressing customer needs.
Height易游体育app官网ing Productivity of Eugl易游体育app官网a (Microalgae) Cultivation
Kobelco Eco-solutions begins study into com易游体育app官网rcialization of euglena for applications such as food products and cos易游体育app官网tics using closed reactor unit
Kobelco Eco-Solutions Co., Ltd. has begun full-scale efforts involving cultivation of Eugl易游体育app官网a1 microalgae us易游体育app官网g a 1m3 closed reactor unit installed at its facilities. As a result, the company is now able to supply biomass derived from Euglena by the kilogram and has launched a study into com易游体育app官网rcial applications of the microalgae such as for foodstuffs, cos易游体育app官网tics and chemical products.
There are two general 易游体育app官网thods of culturing Euglena: photosynthetic cultivation and heterotrophic cultivation2. In comparison 易游体育app官网th photosynthetic cultivation, Kobelco Eco-Solutions' method of heterotrophic cultivation in a closed reactor results in a yield of several hundred times the amount of biomass per unit area, and makes it possible to maintain consistent cultivation of Euglena unaffected by sunlight, temperature and other climatic factors of the external environment.
Kobelco Eco-Solutions plans to keep improving its cultivation 易游体育app官网thods while accumulating cultivation data using the 1m3 reactor.
1. Euglena is a unique organism 易游体育app官网th plant-like qualities that enable photosynthesis, but is also capable of animal-like undulating motion.
2. Heterotrophic cultivation is a cultivation 易游体育app官网thod that uses organic compounds as the source of carbon for organisms.
