Primetals Technologies, with its project partners Rio Tinto and voestalpine, have started construction of an industrial-scale demonstration plant at the voestalpine site in Linz, Austria. Rio Tinto is a leading mining and metals company and producer of iron ore, while voestalpine is a leading steel and technology group.
The project aims to accelerate the development of hydrogen-based direct reduction and smelter technologies for potential net-zero CO2 emissions ironmaking. This provides a potential alternative to blast furnaces for hot metal and commercial hot-briquetted iron (HBI) production. The plant is scheduled to start up at the end of 2027, with a capacity of 3 tons per hour.
HYFOR is the world’s first direct reduction technology for iron ore fines. It eliminates the need for agglomeration of the iron ore fines. It features lower reduction gas temperatures, in-situ recycling of captured dust particles, and high metallization of the direct-reduced iron (DRI) and HBI. The Smelter furnace — powered by renewable energy — melts and completes the reduction of DRI. It produces hot metal or pig iron, as well as a value-added slag suitable as cement clinker substitute. Both are expected to be commercially available from 2028.
Rio Tinto will supply 70% of the iron ore for the Hy4Smelt demonstration plant and technical support to the project. It will also support the development and future commercialization of the HYFOR and Smelter technologies.
Courtesy of Primetals Technologies.