Nippon Steel announces 33% CO2 emission reduction through hydrogen process

Nippon Steel Corporation has confirmed a 33% reduction in blast furnace CO2 emissions using hydrogen reduction technology was achieved.

Calix announced that it has completed a Front-End Engineering and Design (FFED) study for a 30,000 tonne per annum Zero Emissions Steel Technology (ZESTY) Hydrogen Direct Reduced Iron (H-DRI) demonstration plant. The study found:

▪ ZESTY has the potential to produce near-zero emissions hot briquetted iron (HBI) from low grade iron ore for ~AUD$630–800 per tonne of HBI.

▪ This cost is close to the range of existing, carbon-intensive HBI processing costs, before any benefit of emissions reduction is accounted for.

▪ ZESTY would reduce the emissions intensity of reducing iron ore to metal iron from 1.89 tonnes of CO2 / tonne of iron to near zero. The reduction of iron ore to metal iron currently accounts for 80-85% of the steel industry’s carbon dioxide emissions.

▪ An expansive ore testing program demonstrated metallisation degrees of commercial grade for a range of ores, including low grade Australian hematite ore.

▪ ZESTY’s low cost of production is driven by efficient hydrogen use, efficient electric heating, and the elimination of additional processing steps.

▪ Further cost savings are expected as the technology is scaled and refined.

▪ A Financial Investment Decision on a ZESTY HBI Demonstration facility is being progressed and is subject to plant location