REVOLUTIONARY IRONMAKING
PROCESS CUTS BOTH CARBON AND COSTS The HIsarna pilot plant at Tata Steel in IJmuiden uses groundbreaking technology to convert iron ore fines and coal almost directly into liquid iron.
T
he European Union has agreed to contribute €7.4 million towards testing a groundbreaking new iron production process being developed at Tata Steel’s IJmuiden steelworks in the Netherlands. The six-month test campaign of the HIsarna pilot plant in 2016 will establish whether the new technology can produce molten iron in a stable way over a sustained period of time. The EU’s support represents nearly a third of the €25 million test costs next year. If the technology is viable and can be scaled up successfully, it would enable
12 Industry Europe
further resource efficiency improvements in steelmaking – using the world’s limited resources in a more sustainable way while minimising impacts on the environment. Steel companies would be able to use a wider range of raw materials, including recycling materials, and the technology would lead to 20 per cent lower CO2 emissions. If successful, the HIsarna technology could deliver greater environmental and economic sustainability 10 to 15 years from now. Karl Koehler, chief executive of Tata Steel’s European operations, said: “We wel-
come the European Union’s support for this promising and potentially groundbreaking project. The development of this technology still has a long way to go, so support from the EU is vital.” The main advantage of HIsarna technology is that it eliminates two energy-intensive preparatory stages in iron making. There is no need to cluster fine iron ore into sinter or pellet or to convert coal into coke, as there is in conventional blast furnace iron making. “The steel industry is an integral part of the circular economy, striving for zero waste, 100
