China Baowu and Rio Tinto have completed industrial-scale pelletisation and shaft furnace trials in China using the latter’s Pilbara Blend iron ore, as part of a collaboration on reducing steelmaking emissions.
During trials at Baowu’s Baoshan Iron & Steel Zhanjiang steel operations, a hydrogen-based shaft furnace was used to produce direct reduced iron (DRI) from pellets comprising one-third Pilbara Blend ore. The DRI was then successfully converted into steel in an industrial-scale basic oxygen furnace and was also tested in a 500-kg electric smelting furnace.
“This is an important technical milestone demonstrating that Pilbara Blend iron ore can be used in a direct reduction shaft furnace process at an industrial scale, which has the potential to significantly reduce emissions when compared with the traditional blast furnace. The trials, alongside our broader ongoing work, continue to build confidence that Pilbara iron ore can play a critical role in lower-carbon steelmaking,” Rio Tinto Iron Ore Sales and Marketing Vice President Ramona Sim said.
“We remain committed to working closely with our customers to develop practical, scalable solutions that support their decarbonisation goals and position Pilbara iron ore for a lower-carbon future.”
The trials show that typical mid-grade ores mined in Western Australia’s Pilbara region can be used as hydrogen-based direct reduction feedstock and could be a future source for low-carbon steelmaking when combined with electric smelting furnace technology. While direct reduction shaft furnace production is already widely used for high-grade iron ore, expanding feedstock and fuel options is a key industry focus.
This milestone delivers on a key initiative under a 2023 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Baowu and Rio Tinto to explore technologies to help decarbonise the steel value chain. Both companies continue to work together on other projects under the MoU.
Source: Rio Tinto