16/11/2023
Taranto, 16th November 2023 – “The decarbonization of the steel industry: a step forward” workshop is being held today in Taranto, organized by Acciaierie d'Italia with the sponsorship of AIDIC – Italian Association of Chemical Engineering, RINA, University of Salento, University of Bari, Polytechnic of Bari, University of Pisa, “Sapienza” University of Rome and ANIMP – National Association of Industrial Plant Engineering.
The event is also attended by EUROFER, Nextchem, Taranto Register of Engineers, ORI MARTIN, Paul Wurth, Stellantis, Technip Energies Italia and Tenova.
According to the speakers, the decarbonisation roadmap for the primary steel industry has been started and will be able to see the first outcomes within 2-3 years, with a final horizon of 10-20 years during which various issues need to be tackled, including the development of new clean energy sources, in particular green hydrogen.
?The work is led by engineer Adolfo Buffo, General Director of Quality, Research and Sustainability of Acciaierie d'Italia, who underlined, since the opening of the event, that the Taranto plant has made a remarkable effort in sustainable development, with an investment of approximately 2 billion euros in the best technologies on the market. New systems and new technologies have guaranteed a drastic reduction of emissions into air, water and soil. Today the Taranto site can be considered as a benchmark in Europe for emissions and for the production of steel that respects the environment, as recently presented by the company to customers and called “Penisola Steel®”.
During the event AIDIC outlines an initial decarbonisation strategy for primary steel industry which may involve the integration of synthesis gases in the current blast furnace supply chain – gases also produced through waste recycling – combined with CO2 capture systems.
A further evolution may consist in the use of DRI (Direct Reduction of Iron) technology, which allows the reduction of iron ore to obtain metallic iron without using coal, combined with the use of electric arc furnace. In this second strategy, the issues of mineral supply for DRI and gas availability are of central importance.
According to AIDIC, understanding what will happen in the steel industry starting from 2035 is not easy and it is not certain that the use of electrolytic hydrogen could be the only solution. Considering the limitations connected to photovoltaic and wind power, “it seems necessary to ask ourselves whether this growing demand will not lead to the rebirth of nuclear power, with a view to coupling small modular nuclear power plants with steelworks, possibly powered by thorium and not uranium, making them completely independent and de-carbonised”.
Adolfo Aiello, Director of EUROFER (the European steel association), identifies 60 steelmaking decarbonisation projects in Europe, with the objective of completion by 2030 and a potential CO2 reduction of around 81.5 million tonnes per year (more than a third of current emissions). The expected capital investments are around 31 billion euros and the operating expenses around 54 billion euros. The estimated electrical energy required is around 165 TWH, of which 90 for the production of hydrogen from electrolysis.
Being protagonists of one of the most important ongoing projects, Adolfo Buffo and Loris Pascucci, Director of Special Investments of Acciaierie d'Italia, outline the three pillars of the company towards decarbonisation.
Ø The first step concerns the energy efficiency and environmental optimization of the plants, with a reduction in CO2 emissions through the introduction of new technologies for the partial replacement of coal and the implementation of projects that provide for CO2 capture on a large-scale and its geological storage in specific sites.
Ø The second step concerns the electrification of the primary area with the use of DRI technology.
Ø The third step is the development of energy systems to help provide the energy necessary for the production cycle: from gas to water and renewable energies such as photovoltaic and offshore wind systems.
Other important ongoing programmes in Europe are highlighted by Cristiano Castagnola from Paul Wurth, who illustrates a project for an integrated steel plant in Sweden powered 100% by green hydrogen, the first unit of which will start up in 2025. Furthermore, another project in Germany is taken into consideration, which will start later in 2026, aiming to achieve the total hydrogen power supply of the DRI unit. In order to implement DRI/electric furnace technology on a large scale there are also several constraints. These include the availability of suitable iron ore, the need to offset green hydrogen with green ammonia (NH3) when the former cannot be produced competitively, the need to have double volumes of scrap and the availability of clean energy, which also needs to be doubled to achieve the 2050 targets.
Regarding hydrogen, an element at the centre of debate, Filippo Cirilli from RINA highlights how this source has the potential to replace fossil fuels with a proper revamping of existing technologies, but also requirements on the development of processes and technologies at high costs. Technologies capable of using hydrogen are already existing, for which further and parallel R&D, optimization and training activities will however be necessary.
The fact that hydrogen cannot be the only solution in the short-medium term is also underlined by professors Renzo Valentini of the University of Pisa and Valentina Colla of Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, who also highlight the issue of implementation of infrastructures for the transport of this substance.
For further information:
ACCIAIERIE D’ITALIA
Giovanni Spada
Mob. +39 335 1070914
[email protected]
LIFONTI & COMPANY
Luca Ricci Maccarini
Mob. +39 349 7668028
[email protected]
Amélie Troisi
Mob. +39 348 8397227
[email protected]
