Toward a Fossil Free Future with HYBRIT: Development of Iron and Steelmaking Technology in Sweden and Finland

Pei, Martin; Petäjäniemi, Markus; Regnell, Andreas; Wijk, Olle

doi:10.3390/met10070972

Cited by 139 publications

(62 citation statements)

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“…In view of current developments with regard to GHG-neutral hydrogen-based reduction processes producing H 2 -reduced DRI and the subsequent melting in the EAF (e.g., HYBRIT [79], SALCOS [80], H2FUTURE [81]), there will still be the need to introduce carbon into the system either to carburize the steel or to create foaming slag to improve the energy efficiency of the melting process. So, if in the future a substantial part of the steel production shifts to a direct reduction and EAF based route to reach the GHG emission reduction goals set around the world, there will still be a need to use alternative carbon sources to produce a really green and carbon neutral and/or fully circular steel.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Review on the Use of Alternative Carbon Sources in EAF Steelmaking

Echterhof

2021

Metals

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Steelmaking in the electric arc furnace (EAF), either scrap-based or based on hydrogen direct reduced iron, will in future contribute substantially to the reduction of CO2 emissions in the iron and steel industry. However, there still will be the need to introduce carbon into the EAF process either to carburize the steel or to create foaming slag to improve the energy efficiency of the melting process. So, to reach the emission reduction goals set around the world, it will be necessary to substitute fossil charge and injection carbon used in EAF steelmaking with alternative carbon sources. This review presents the recent research on carbon-neutral biomass-based and circular rubber or plastics-based carbon sources and their potential to substitute fossil charge or injection carbon in the EAF process. It also discusses the current state-of-the art and suggests further opportunities and needs for research and development to use alternative carbon sources to produce a really green and carbon neutral and/or fully circular steel.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Review on the Use of Alternative Carbon Sources in EAF Steelmaking

Echterhof

2021

Metals

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“…HYBRIT (Hydrogen Breakthrough Ironmaking Technology) is a Nordic endeavor with backing from three companies, LKAB (iron ore mining and pelletizing), SSAB (steel manufacturer), and Vattenfall (power utility). The project was launched in 2016 and will continue with pilot reduction trials and hydrogen production and storage until 2025; it will proceed to demonstration plants and industrial scale transformation in 2025-40 and fossil-free production as the final goal in 2045 [85]. The influence of hydrogen deployment on CO 2 emissions are discussed later with respect to the summary part, Paragraph 4.…”

Section: Hydrogen Economy-definitive Solution Toward Carbon Neutral Smentioning

confidence: 99%

A General Vision for Reduction of Energy Consumption and CO2 Emissions from the Steel Industry

Holappa

2020

Metals

168

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The 2018 IPCC (The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s) report defined the goal to limit global warming to 1.5 °C by 2050. This will require “rapid and far-reaching transitions in land, energy, industry, buildings, transport, and cities”. The challenge falls on all sectors, especially energy production and industry. In this regard, the recent progress and future challenges of greenhouse gas emissions and energy supply are first briefly introduced. Then, the current situation of the steel industry is presented. Steel production is predicted to grow by 25–30% by 2050. The dominant iron-making route, blast furnace (BF), especially, is an energy-intensive process based on fossil fuel consumption; the steel sector is thus responsible for about 7% of all anthropogenic CO2 emissions. In order to take up the 2050 challenge, emissions should see significant cuts. Correspondingly, specific emissions (t CO2/t steel) should be radically decreased. Several large research programs in big steelmaking countries and the EU have been carried out over the last 10–15 years or are ongoing. All plausible measures to decrease CO2 emissions were explored here based on the published literature. The essential results are discussed and concluded. The specific emissions of “world steel” are currently at 1.8 t CO2/t steel. Improved energy efficiency by modernizing plants and adopting best available technologies in all process stages could decrease the emissions by 15–20%. Further reductions towards 1.0 t CO2/t steel level are achievable via novel technologies like top gas recycling in BF, oxygen BF, and maximal replacement of coke by biomass. These processes are, however, waiting for substantive industrialization. Generally, substituting hydrogen for carbon in reductants and fuels like natural gas and coke gas can decrease CO2 emissions remarkably. The same holds for direct reduction processes (DR), which have spread recently, exceeding 100 Mt annual capacity. More radical cut is possible via CO2 capture and storage (CCS). The technology is well-known in the oil industry; and potential applications in other sectors, including the steel industry, are being explored. While this might be a real solution in propitious circumstances, it is hardly universally applicable in the long run. More auspicious is the concept that aims at utilizing captured carbon in the production of chemicals, food, or fuels e.g., methanol (CCU, CCUS). The basic idea is smart, but in the early phase of its application, the high energy-consumption and costs are disincentives. The potential of hydrogen as a fuel and reductant is well-known, but it has a supporting role in iron metallurgy. In the current fight against climate warming, H2 has come into the “limelight” as a reductant, fuel, and energy storage. The hydrogen economy concept contains both production, storage, distribution, and uses. In ironmaking, several research programs have been launched for hydrogen production and reduction of iron oxides. Another global trend is the transfer from fossil fuel to electricity. “Green” electricity generation and hydrogen will be firmly linked together. The electrification of steel production is emphasized upon in this paper as the recycled scrap is estimated to grow from the 30% level to 50% by 2050. Finally, in this review, all means to reduce specific CO2 emissions have been summarized. By thorough modernization of production facilities and energy systems and by adopting new pioneering methods, “world steel” could reach the level of 0.4–0.5 t CO2/t steel and thus reduce two-thirds of current annual emissions.

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“…Consequently, as long as coke is the main reducing agent, CO 2 will be an unavoidable byproduct of BF steelmaking. At best, modern BF-based steelmaking results in around 1.6-1.9 tons of CO 2 per ton of steel produced [5,6].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Reduction of iron ore with pure H 2 is not an entirely novel concept. The world's first, and, to date, only, H-DR plant went into operation in 1998 in Point Lisas, Trinidad; however, that plant closed down in 2016 due to poor economic performance [5,15]. In recent years, interest in H 2 steelmaking is growing, with several industrial projects pursuing H-DR, including HYBRIT (SSAB, LKAB and Vattenfall, Sweden), H2FUTURE (voestalpine, Austria), and SALCOS (Salzgitter, Germany) [16,17].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Application of Liquid Hydrogen Carriers in Hydrogen Steelmaking

Andersson

2021

Energies

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Steelmaking is responsible for approximately one third of total industrial carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Hydrogen (H2) direct reduction (H-DR) may be a feasible route towards the decarbonization of primary steelmaking if H2 is produced via electrolysis using fossil-free electricity. However, electrolysis is an electricity-intensive process. Therefore, it is preferable that H2 is predominantly produced during times of low electricity prices, which is enabled by storage of H2. This work compares the integration of H2 storage in four liquid carriers, methanol (MeOH), formic acid (FA), ammonia (NH3) and perhydro-dibenzyltoluene (H18-DBT), in H-DR processes. In contrast to conventional H2 storage methods, these carriers allow for H2 storage in liquid form at ambient moderate overpressures, reducing the storage capacity cost. The main downside to liquid H2 carriers is that thermochemical processes are necessary for both the storage and release processes, often with significant investment and operational costs. The carriers are compared using thermodynamic and economic data to estimate operational and capital costs in the H-DR context considering process integration options. It is concluded that the use of MeOH is promising compared to both the other considered carriers. For large storage volumes, MeOH-based H2 storage may also be an attractive option for the underground storage of compressed H2. The other considered liquid H2 carriers suffer from large thermodynamic barriers for hydrogenation (FA) or dehydrogenation (NH3, H18-DBT) and higher investment costs. However, for the use of MeOH in an H-DR process to be practically feasible, questions regarding process flexibility and the optimal sourcing of CO2 and heat must be answered.

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Toward a Fossil Free Future with HYBRIT: Development of Iron and Steelmaking Technology in Sweden and Finland

Cited by 139 publications

References 2 publications

Review on the Use of Alternative Carbon Sources in EAF Steelmaking

Review on the Use of Alternative Carbon Sources in EAF Steelmaking

A General Vision for Reduction of Energy Consumption and CO2 Emissions from the Steel Industry

Application of Liquid Hydrogen Carriers in Hydrogen Steelmaking

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