(Luxembourg/Quebec) – Luxembourg-based steelmaker ArcelorMittal SA has announced the successful completion of tests on the production of direct reduced iron (DRI) using green hydrogen at its plant in Contrecoeur, Quebec, Canada. The hydrogen was produced externally via electrolysis and then transported to the steelworks. The aim was to investigate the extent to which, and on what scale, green hydrogen can replace the natural gas currently used in the reduction process.
Further tests with increased hydrogen content
In the first test, 24 percent of natural gas was replaced with hydrogen over a 6,8-hour period, contributing to a measurable reduction in CO2 emissions. This is "a major step forward" and "an important milestone" in the company's journey to producing zero-carbon steel, as the iron ore reduction process alone accounts for more than 75 percent of ArcelorMittal Long Products Canada's (AMLPC) total CO2 emissions. contributes.
AMLPC plans to conduct further research in the coming months by increasing the use of green hydrogen at the DRI plant with a view to eventually reducing CO2 emissions at Contrecoeur by several hundred thousand tons per year, the company said.
The group wants to reduce CO2 emissions by 2030 percent by 25
The steel company also plans to utilize direct reduction of iron ore in Europe. In Hamburg , the company operates a plant with a DRI system and an electric arc furnace, where preparations are underway to convert it to hydrogen operation. In Bremen and Eisenhüttenstadt, the two blast furnaces are being converted to natural gas; ArcelorMittal also intends to use hydrogen in Bremen at a later date.
Furthermore, the company states that it is investing one billion euros in the production of directly reduced iron ore using green hydrogen at its plant in Gijón (Asturias), northern Spain, as well as in a new hybrid electric arc furnace. The iron is then processed into emission-free flat steel at the steelworks further east in Sestao, near Bilbao in the Basque Country.
ArcelorMittal has set itself the goal of reducing its global CO2 emissions by 2030 percent by 25 and achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.
Photos
ArcelorMittal steelworks in Contrecoeur, Canada. © ArcelorMittal SA
