According to a new report by the Max Planck Institute, ammonia cannot only be used to carry hydrogen, but also in the direct reduction of iron to decarbonize steel production processes.
“Our aim was to study whether ammonia can be directly used to reduce iron ores without cracking it into hydrogen and nitrogen. Avoiding this cracking process can reduce the overall costs by 18 percent,” Yan Ma, group leader at the Max Planck Institute, said. The institute compared ammonia-based direct reduction kinetics with hydrogen-based direct reduction. Both have similar characteristics and yield the same metallization degree. In contrast to hydrogen-based reduction, nitrides form during cooling in ammonia, which could protect sponge iron from corrosion and make it easier to handle.
Moreover, the logistic disadvantages of hydrogen are overcome by using ammonia and already existing furnace technologies, namely, electric arc furnaces, can be used with only a slight modification.