NeoSmelt Pilot Electric Smelting Facility targets low-carbon steel
The NeoSmelt pilot plant is intended to test and optimise production of iron from the electric smelting furnace (ESF), a type of furnace being developed by leading steel producers and technology companies targeting lower-carbon emission-intensity steel.
The ESF is capable of producing iron suitable for the basic oxygen furnace steelmaking process. Iron ore is first converted to direct reduced iron (DRI) before being charged into the ESF. Together, the DRI-ESF equipment can replace the traditional blast furnace.
Estimates show reductions of up to 80^ per cent in CO2 emission intensity are potentially achievable processing Pilbara iron ore through a DRI-ESF pathway, compared with the current industry average for the conventional blast furnace steel route.
Other lower CO2 emission-intensity production routes, such as electric arc furnaces, require scrap steel and DRI produced from high grade iron ore. The ESF potentially allows for greater flexibility in input raw materials, addressing one of the key barriers to wider adoption of lower-carbon emissions technology. The ESF also has the potential to be integrated into a steel plant’s existing downstream production units.
