HYFOR pilot steel plant begins operations in Austria
Primetals Technologies has begun operations at its hydrogen-based fine-ore reduction (HYFOR) pilot plant at the Voestalpine steelworks in Donawitz, Austria.
Having completed initial tests, which ran throughout April and May, the pilot scheme is now set to be operational for a minimum of two years. The companies say that during this time, a range of types of ore will be tested to evaluate the optimal parameters for "the next scale up step".
The use of 100% hydrogen can reduce CO2 emissions by more than 90%, according to Primetals. The new HYFOR pilot plant employs what the company claims is the world's first direct reduction process for iron ore fines concentrates requiring no agglomeration like sintering or pelletising.
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The new process uses hydrogen sourced entirely from renewable energy or alternatively H2-rich gases from other gas sources like natural gas pyrolysis or conventional steam reformers, helping to slash the carbon footprint.
The use of technologies like the one being piloted in Donawitz is expected to grow rapidly due to the strong push towards decarbonisation of the steel sector. Roughly 1.8 tonnes of CO2 are released into the atmosphere for every tonne of liquid steel produced - accounting for around 8% of total global emissions.
Steel producers in the EU are already beginning to feel the financial pinch of rising carbon prices under the bloc's CO2 Emissions Allowances scheme. Prices of carbon hit a record high of €50 per tonne in May, and there are no signs of it dropping.
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The HYFOR pilot plant consists of three parts: a preheating-oxidation unit, a gas treatment plant and the actual reduction unit.
In the preheating-oxidation unit, fine ore concentrate is heated to around 900°C and fed to the reduction unit. The reduction gas, 100% H2, is supplied over the fence from a gas supplier. A dry dedusting system takes care of dust recycling to prevent emissions from the processes.
The hot direct reduced iron (HDRI) leaves the reduction unit at a temperature of around 600°C before it is cooled down and discharged from the HYFOR pilot plant. The next step will be the addition of a Hot Briquetting Testing facility to produce Hot Briquetted Iron (HBI).
Primetals and Voestalpine are aiming that the HYFOR plant acts as verification of the process, serving as a test facility providing data for upscaling to production on an industrial scale.
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