Primetals Technologies, together with its strategic partner Mitsubishi Corporation, Rio Tinto, a leading mining and materials company, and globally leading steel and technology group voestalpine, signed a cooperation agreement to fast-track the development of fluidized bed and smelter technologies. The participants will implement and operate an industrial-scale prototype plant featuring a new process for potential net-zero CO2 emissions ironmaking at the voestalpine site in Linz, Austria. Startup of the plant is scheduled for mid-2027.
The new ironmaking process with a projected capacity of three tons of hot metal per hour is based on the HYFOR and Smelter solutions from Primetals Technologies. HYFOR is the world’s first direct reduction technology for iron ore fines that does not require any agglomeration steps. Since 2021, Primetals Technologies has operated a pilot plant on voestalpine’s premises in Donawitz, Austria, and has run numerous successful test campaigns. The Smelter is a furnace powered by renewable energy used for melting and final reduction of direct reduced iron (DRI). It produces potential net-zero CO2 emissions hot metal for the steelmaking plant.
Courtesy of Primetals Technologies.