Finland-based Metso Outotec Corporation, a global leader in engineering and technology, has announced that it has officially opened its Circored™ pre-reduction hydrogen pilot plant in Frankfurt, Germany. The facility marks a key milestone in Metso’s efforts to accelerate the transition toward fossil-free steelmaking through innovative direct reduction technologies.
The Circored™ pilot plant is built on Metso’s proprietary technology that uses hydrogen as the sole reducing agent for iron ore. Unlike traditional direct reduced iron (DRI) production, which relies on natural gas or coal, the Circored™ system employs electric heaters for pre-heating and reduction, incorporates gas cleaning and recirculation systems for hydrogen and dust, and operates with near-zero carbon emissions
Industry significance and pilot plant goals
According to Parizat Pandey, director of DRI at Metso, the pilot plant is a crucial step in demonstrating the commercial readiness of Circored™ technology. It will help validate process parameters in real-world operations, support customers in adopting low-carbon steelmaking methods, generate process data for engineering larger-scale commercial plants and define the operating window for different iron ore qualities.
Integration with other smelting technologies
The Circored™ direct reduction process can be integrated with Metso’s own DRI smelting furnace, or other smelting technologies used by steelmakers.