ArcelorMittal, Sekisui Chemical partner for carbon recycling & hydrogen extraction
Sekisui Chemical technology converts CO2 to carbon monoxide to demonstrate the ability to scale up its new technology in partnership with ArcelorMittal.
ArcelorMittal and Sekisui Chemical have partnered on a project to capture carbon waste gases from the steelmaking process and recycle to cut emissions and reduce dependence on fossil fuel.
The CO2 would be separated and recovered from carbon-rich waste gas from the steelmaking process. An innovative chemical process, developed by Sekisui Chemical in Japan, converting the waste CO2 into carbon monoxide rich Synthesis Gas (carbon monoxide and hydrogen). The synthesis gas is then reused during the steelmaking process as an alternative reduction agent for iron ore, thus reducing the volume of fossil resources utilised in the steelmaking process.
The technology will initially be trialled over three years at one of ArcelorMittal’s R&D laboratories in Asturias, Spain, in Q3:2021. The project would see an investment of US$ 1.9 million.
Pinakin Chaubal, CTO at ArcelorMittal, said, “This is an exciting albeit early-stage technology which complements our existing carbon capture and reuse or storage technology (CCUS) initiatives. Successfully decarbonising steelmaking will involve multiple technologies, and we expect CCUS technologies to have an important role to play.”
Katsunori Mukai, Director of Corporate R&D at Sekisui Chemical, said, “Sekisui Chemical has been developing basic technologies for sustainable societies. One of them is focussed on giving ‘LIFE to CO2’ by enabling carbon recycling in manufacturing industries.”
ArcelorMittal aims to reduce CO2 emissions in Europe by 30% by 2030 and produce carbon-neutral steel group-wide by 2050. ArcelorMittal is pioneering two breakthrough carbon-neutral technology pathways, Smart Carbon and Innovative-DRI.
