Technology for direct reduction of iron ore using hydrogen

The direct reduction ironmaking process using natural gas is used in Latin America, the Middle East, and other areas where natural gas is inexpensive, and approx. 100 million tons are annually produced worldwide by this process as of 2020. This process uses a gas reducing agent, which is considered to be replaceable with hydrogen. However, iron ore reduction using hydrogen is an endothermic reaction, which poses an issue. Including this, there are many issues to address in using hydrogen in this process.
In this project, we will study measures to realize direct reduction ironmaking using hydrogen in a shaft furnace.

2 Development of direct hydrogen reduction technology to reduce low-grade iron ore using only hydrogen[1] Direct hydrogen reduction technology

Demonstrate that the technology for directly reducing low-grade iron ore using hydrogen reduces CO₂ emissions more than 50% compared to the conventional blast furnace process in a medium-scale direct reduction furnace (one-twenty-fifth to one-fifth the scale of an actual furnace) by 2030.

Development of element technologies and verification tests in a small-scale test shaft furnace (1 t/hr)
Demonstration test in a medium-scale direct reduction furnace (one-twenty-fifth to one-fifth the scale of an actual furnace)

A small-scale test shaft furnace (1 t/hr) will be constructed and tests will be started in FY2025 at the Hasaki Research and Development Center of Nippon Steel Corporation.
A small-scale bench test furnace will be constructed and tests will be started in FY2024 at Chiba Area of East Japan Works, JFE Steel Corporation.

Efforts in This Subject [1] Hydrogen Direct Reduction Technology in Shaft Furnaces

	Conventional shaft furnace	Hydrogen reduction shaft furnace
Reducing agent	Natural gas	Hydrogen
H₂ concentration	60〜80%	Up to 100%
Heat supply	Temperature control of the reducing gas by burning natural gas and exhaust gas	Temperature control of the reducing gas,such as heating of hydrogen by external heat supply and others
Raw material	High-grade pellets	Low-grade raw materials

Tackling the development of technology to reduce iron oxide only with hydrogen
Establishing the steelmaking technology integrating a shaft furnace, featuring the hydrogen reduction process capable of using low-grade ore, with an electric arc furnace
⇒Ensuring competitiveness with more flexible use of resources

A small-scale test shaft furnace (1 t/hr) will be constructed and a test will be started in 2025 at the Hasaki Research and Development Center of Nippon Steel.

An idea of the hydrogen reduction shaft furnace

Flexible capability of using different grades of iron source that conventional shaft furnaces lack: aiming at using low-grade raw materials

Efforts in This Subject [2] Carbon Recycling (CR) Shaft Furnace Technology

This technology addresses the issues in hydrogen reduction by using methanation to circulate and reuse carbon in the process.

A small-scale bench test shaft furnace will be constructed and a test will be started in FY2024 at Chiba Area of East Japan Works, JFE Steel Corporation.

technology