Brazilian iron ore miner Vale has announced that it has managed to produce commercial quality pellets on an industrial scale without using anthracite coal for the first time.
Vale replaced 100 percent of the fossil fuel with biocarbon to fire the pellets in a test carried out in a pellet plant in Vargem Grande. In total, approximately 50,000 mt of pellets were produced, of which 15,000 mt were produced using 100 percent certified biocarbon.
Anthracite coal accounts for around 50 percent of carbon emissions in pellet production.
The company is investing $4-6 billion to reduce its carbon emissions by 33 percent by 2030, with the aim of reaching net zero in 2050.
