Chinese HBZX High Tech, a division of Hebei Iron & Steel Group (HBIS), has achieved a remarkable milestone by becoming the world's first steelmaker to produce direct reduced iron (DRI) using a feed gas mix consisting of over 60% hydrogen on an industrial scale. This groundbreaking accomplishment took place at the HBZX plant, located in Xuan Hua, Zhangjiakou, Hebei province, where a state-of-the-art Zero Reformer, Energiron® direct reduction plant with a capacity of 600,000 tons per year was installed. The plant has successfully achieved continuous, stable, and safe production with exceptional product quality.
This achievement holds significant importance for the Chinese steel industry, as it marks the establishment of the world's first hydrogen-enriched gas-powered DRI production facility. It also represents a major step towards greener practices within the industry, as the plant utilizes gas-based DRI technology and paves the way for transitioning from the carbon-based blast furnace (BF) route to more environmentally friendly methods such as electric steelmaking.
The Energiron® direct reduction technology, a collaborative effort between Tenova and Danieli, sets new standards in terms of energy efficiency, product quality, and environmental compliance by leveraging hydrogen as a reducing agent, with a potential usage of up to 100%. Notably, the HBIS plant boasts an impressively low CO2 release of only 250 kg per ton of DRI, positioning it as the most eco-friendly industrial DRI plant worldwide.
To further enhance sustainability, the plant includes a CO2 removal unit as part of the fundamental Energiron® DR technology process scheme, allowing for selective recovery of carbon dioxide. A portion of the captured CO2 will be reused in downstream processes, such as carbon capture and utilization or storage (CCU/CCS). As a result, the net emission of CO2 per ton of DRI is expected to be as low as approximately 125 kg, demonstrating a substantial reduction in carbon footprint.
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