ΣIDERWIN—A New Route for Iron Production

Abstract

Iron and steel production contributes to ~10% of global CO2 emissions. In recent decades, different scenarios and low-emission pathways have been taken up by steelmaking industries with the collaboration of universities and research institutes to tackle this problem. One of the most promising novel methods to replace the current steelmaking process is the low-temperature electrolysis of iron oxide. This technology is currently being developed under the H2020 ΣIDERWIN project, a European project led by ArcelorMittal, the world’s leading steel and mining company. The ΣIDERWIN project aims at developing an innovative electrochemical process to transform iron oxide into steel metal plates. This process produces steel by electrolysis without direct CO2 emissions. In this operation, electrical energy and iron oxide are converted into chemical energy consisting of separated iron metal from the oxygen gas. It is a disruptive innovation that entirely shifts the way steel is presently produced. One of the advantages of this process is the fact that, in addition to iron oxide (hematite), it is possible to feed this process with other iron-containing raw materials. An alternative raw material which is being studied to be used in this process is bauxite residue (BR), the waste material from the Bayer process for alumina production. The iron oxide of the conversion of bauxite residue to metallic iron is under investigation, and insights are showing that it could follow up the electrochemical route for sustainable iron production. This research deals with the effect of the current density and temperature on current efficiency comparing two different raw materials, pure iron oxide–hematite and bauxite residue.