China’s Baowu Steel Group, the world’s largest steel producer, has started construction of a hydrogen mine furnace for reduced iron production at its Zhanjiang smelter in southern Guangdong province.
The cost of the project is 1.89 billion yuan (almost $300 million). The furnace should have a production capacity of 1 million tons per year. It is expected to be launched by the end of 2023.
According to Baowu, the project should result in lower carbon dioxide emissions. The group aims to become carbon-neutral by 2050. The introduction of hydrogen metallurgy technology is one of its decarbonization initiatives.
The production of reduced iron will require high-quality iron-ore raw materials containing at least 65% Fe. Hydrogen at first will be obtained through decomposition of natural gas, but in the future it is planned to use electrolyzers on renewable energy sources.
