Sinosteel Engineering & Technology Co., Ltd. (Sinosteel E&T), a leading provider of industrial technologies and services in low-carbon metallurgy, and Tenova, a leading developer of sustainable solutions for the green transition in the metals industry, have recently completed the successful performance test for Baosteel Zhanjiang Iron & Steel Co., Ltd.'s new hydrogen-based Direct Reduction (DRI) plant.
The plant, developed by Tenova using the innovative ENERGIRON technology, jointly developed by Tenova and Danieli and technically executed by Sinosteel, is located in the Zhanjiang Economic and Technological Zone in Guangdong Province. During the performance test, the plant achieved a total production of 21,620 tons of direct reduced iron after 168 hours of continuous full-load production, with a metallization rate of over 94 % and using 70 % hydrogen-based reducing gas.
The ENERGIRON Solution
The ENERGIRON solution is the most flexible Direct Reduction technology for producing metallic units in terms of gas utilization and the most sustainable, as it is designed to maximize CO2 emission reduction. The plant installed at Baosteel, a Baowu Group company, offers the flexibility to use various reducing gases such as hydrogen (H2), natural gas (NG), and coke oven gas (COG) in any combination or proportion, based on the ENERGIRON Zero Reformer (ZR) scheme.
With an annual production capacity of 1,000,000 tons, this plant is the largest and the first of its kind in China to employ hydrogen-based direct reduction. Additionally, it is designed to capture CO2, which can be sold commercially, further reducing the plant’s overall CO2 emissions and generating additional revenue.
Low-Carbon Production
"The successful operation of Baosteel Zhanjiang’s million-ton hydrogen-based shaft furnace is a key initiative in Baowu Group's efforts to promote low-carbon production. This project takes Baosteel another step toward reducing CO2 emissions and paves the way for green steel production," said Liang Lisheng, Deputy General Manager of Baosteel Zhanjiang Iron & Steel Co., Ltd., and Director of the Ironmaking Plant.
"Congratulations to Baosteel Zhanjiang on the successful completion of the 168-hour performance test of the million-ton hydrogen-based shaft furnace. We are grateful to Baosteel for their support and recognize the tireless efforts of the entire team. Building on this significant achievement, we will continue to apply our technology and engineering expertise to lead the steel industry towards CO2 neutrality," said Hua Guanglin, Executive Deputy Managing Director of Sinosteel E&T and General Manager of Sinosteel MECC.
"We are extremely pleased with this project, which confirms the excellent collaboration among all parties involved. Thanks to our ENERGIRON technology, we have provided Baosteel with the first direct reduction iron production line integrating hydrogen, natural gas, and coke oven gas for industrial production," said Stefano Maggiolino, President and CEO of Tenova HYL, the center for direct reduction technology.
