[ COVER STORY ]
One of the key innovations Tenova developed is the Consteel ® system , a continuous charging and preheating mechanism for scrap .
produced during the process . “ Of the 500 – 600 kilograms of
CO 2 produced in the DR plant , about 250 kilograms can be captured and repurposed for other applications , bringing net emissions down to approximately 300 kilograms per tonne ,” Mr . Pancaldi noted . “ When compared to the 2.3 tonnes of CO 2 from traditional methods , the benefit of DRI technology becomes clear .”
Looking ahead , Tenova ’ s technology is also wellpositioned to support the transition to hydrogen as a reducing agent , which offers even greater emissions reduction potential than natural gas . Remarkably , their DRI
technology is versatile enough to accept any type of reductant , including hydrogen , without requiring modifications to the plant . This flexibility ensures that their technology remains futureproof as hydrogen becomes more readily available . In fact , Tenova has already supplied several plants that are currently operating with hydrogen concentrations exceeding 70 % and reaching up to 100 % within the gas recirculating to the reactor .
The roadblocks to revolutionizing steelmaking with DRI
Given the environmental benefits of DRI technology , one might wonder why we have not already replaced every blast furnace worldwide with a DRI plant . What are the current obstacles to fully implementing DRI on a global scale ?
“ There is an economic challenge ,” Mr . Pancaldi pointed out . “ Today , approximately 1.4 billion tonnes of steel are produced annually using the BF-BOF route . To replace that capacity , you would need 600 – 700 new DRI plus EAF plants , which is a massive undertaking . And let us not forget , many of the existing blast furnaces , particularly those in China , are relatively new . A large portion of steel production capacity has been added in the last 20 years , and with a typical blast furnace
8 Green Steel World | Issue 15 | November 2024