Developing Innovative Agglomerates for Next Generation Iron and Steel Making Technology (InnoAgglo)

The InnoAgglo project provides new opportunities to develop cement-free and self-reduced biocarbon-iron ore agglomerates for fossil-free steelmaking.

The project aims at finding solutions to maximize the organic binder utilization instead of inorganic binders, enabling use of biocarbon for metallic iron carburization during reduction with H2 and boosting the residues recirculation in steel industry.

Achieving these goals will enable replacing of 20% of conventional sintered pellets in the feedstock by green innovative agglomerates contain up to 10% biocarbon.

This in turn will reduce the overall energy consumption in pelletising by ~8%, the slag generation in ironmaking by 2%, the sulfur content in the output iron by ~20% and the CO2 emission in steelmaking by ~150 kg/ton steel based on 4% carbon in hot metal.This is achieved by smart design of agglomerates using novel binders followed by in-situ H2-reduction and carburization.

Innovative statistical design will be used to design and evaluate the impact of different parameters on the mechanical strength, reducibility and carburization of the developed agglomerates.

Successful implementation of such agglomerates will significantly reduce the CO2 emissions and enhance the resource efficiency in steel industry.

The scientific objectives and knowledge exchange will be accomplished through close collaboration between project partners and industrial partners from metal industry, bioenergy sectors and binder developers.