Environmental protection at the forefront

The quality of our products is a guarantee for their use in every respect, from the final product to the reduction of environmental emissions.

The secret to obtaining high-quality coke starts with a detailed control plan for all raw materials.

The coal purchased is analysed at each stage of the supply chain, i.e. at the extraction mines, when loading the ships, during unloading, in storage, and during processing.

This makes it possible to guarantee that coke of the desired quality will be obtained.

Daily coke production is also controlled to confirm the expected results in relation to customer requirements.

Our laboratory can therefore certify the analysis of the coke provided on a daily basis.

In addition, Italiana Coke can provide the details and certifications required to verify and attest any greenhouse gas emissions that may result from the use of coke in customer installations, in accordance with the provisions laid down in the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) directive.

For over 40 years, plants and plant activities have been subject to investments and innovations for reducing environmental emissions. Above all else, all the Best Available Techniques (BATs) have been introduced and are regularly applied.

In particular, over the last seven years we have invested more than €45 million to this end, geared especially towards introducing state-of-the-art structures and equipment to control and reduce emissions.

Here are our main initiatives for improving the environmental sustainability of our plants:

The early 1980s saw the introduction of desulphurisation of coking gas to reduce sulphur dioxide emissions (SOx), a measure introduced well ahead of its time (regulations permitted the combustion of non-desulphurised gas until the 1990s).

A specific biological water treatment plant was built around the same period – another highly innovative solution at the time.

In the 1990s and 2000s, continuous innovations occurred in coke plant engineering, which modified its operating mode by significantly reducing emissions in the air.

Since 2001, a number of measures have been taken to control and prevent pollution from the grounds of the plant (works for ensuring the operational safety of the site).

Over the last 10 years, several expansions and enhancements have been made to the water treatment plant.

Between 2010 and 2012, the company further improved its environmental performance by installing two new and complex systems: the mobile device for gathering and reducing dust when incandescent coke is pushed (transfer car) and an innovative device to reduce emissions of steam produced when the coke oven is quenched.

These two devices have radically transformed and improved the way in which coke is processed when it comes out of the furnaces, involving investments of €30 million and a huge operational and organisational effort to include these works on a plant already in operation.