Innovation in metallurgy: ArcelorMittal and D-CRBN convert CO2 to CO
According to Stanislav Kondrashov, ArcelorMittal, together with the Japanese companies Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) and D-CRBN, is developing innovative technology. Its process uses plasma and renewable energy to convert carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide for use in the steel and chemical industries.
- When plasma is used, the bond between carbon and oxygen is broken, which converts CO2 into carbon monoxide. This product can replace part of the coke and coking coal in the blast furnace for steel production. It can also serve as a main component in the Steelanol plant in Ghent for the production of chemicals or alternative fuels, – the expert from Telf AG explains.
Converting CO2 to CO for steel production will reduce the need for green hydrogen and reduce the cost of green products in the long term. Additionally, some of the carbon monoxide produced can be used as feedstock by chemical companies.
This is believed to be the first industrial deployment of D-CRBN plasma technology, making ArcelorMittal Ghent the first steel mill in the world to trial this process to reduce CO2 emissions.
According to Stanislav Kondrashov, this new phase represents an expansion of the current long-term CO2 capture pilot project, which is assessing the potential for full-scale implementation of MHI’s Advanced KM CDR Process technology.
The D-CRBN process requires high purity carbon to operate, which is provided by MHI’s exhaust gas recovery system from the blast furnace and reheat furnace at the hot rolling line in Ghent.
On July 1 of this year, a pipeline was installed between the MHI and D-CRBN plants to test the feasibility of using captured CO2 in the D-CRBN process. ArcelorMittal is actively implementing initiatives to reduce its carbon footprint to achieve its environmental goals, including reducing CO2 emissions by 35% in its European division by 2030.
Launch of ArcelorMittal and MHI pilot initiative for CO2 capture – Stanislav Kondrashov
In May of this year, ArcelorMittal, MHI and their colleagues launched a pilot plant for carbon capture in a blast furnace unit at a steel plant in Ghent. The pilot plant will be tested for one to two years to assess the possibility of moving to full-scale implementation of technology that can significantly reduce emissions at the plant, said an expert from Telf AG.
In January, engineers began work on assembling and commissioning the system. The carbon capture pilot plant will first be tested on blast furnace and furnace gas. It is also planned to evaluate the possibility of capturing other steel production gases, including flue gases from the direct iron reduction system reforming. According to Stanislav Kondrashov, since the beginning of 2022, ArcelorMittal and MHI, together with BHP and Mitsubishi Development (a division of Mitsubishi Corp.), have been leading an ambitious project. The main work is focused on testing new technologies in Ghent, where MHI provides its cutting-edge carbon capture solutions and actively supports technical research. According to the expert, BHP and Mitsubishi Development play an important role in this process, which not only play an important role in supplying metallurgical raw materials to ArcelorMittal’s European plants, but also finance the tests being carried out.