Posted on 09 Aug 2023
Rio Tinto has awarded Metso a detailed design and engineering contract for the continuous pilot plant (CPP) for the “BioIron” process. The contract is an extension of the work that Rio Tinto and Metso have been doing together on BioIron.
The effectiveness of the process has been successfully proven through small-scale pilot tests conducted at Metso’s research centre in Frankfurt, Germany (see Kallanish passim). BioIron has the potential to support near-zero carbon emissions steelmaking, and can result in net negative emissions if linked with carbon capture and storage, Rio Tinto said last year.
The Australian miner aims to move further towards full-scale implementation of the BioIron technology through operation of a CPP. Metso has been entrusted with the detailed design of the CPP’s reduction furnace and certain other equipment for the process.
“This work is the key next step in the development of the BioIron technology and builds on the success of the research and development team,” says Rio Tinto general manager steel decarbonization David Leigh.
Steelmaking accounts for some 8% of the world's carbon emissions, and 66% of Rio Tinto's Scope 3 emissions.
Source:Kallanish
