In Sweden, the Hydrogen Breakthrough Ironmaking Technology (HYBRIT) initiative has presented the results of six years of research in a final report to the Swedish Energy Agency. The report shows that direct reduced iron produced with the HYBRIT process has superior characteristics compared to iron produced with fossil fuels.
The HYBRIT initiative is a collaboration between the steel company SSAB, the mining company LKAB, and the energy company Vattenfall that was launched to fundamentally change the iron and steel industry.
The initiative aims to virtually eliminate carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in the steel industry by replacing fossil coal- and coke used in iron production with fossil-free hydrogen and electricity.
The transition from coal and blast furnace-based steelmaking to HYBRIT technology and the melting of iron in electric arc furnaces is expected to reduce Sweden’s total CO2 emissions by more than 10 percent.
I am incredibly proud of everything HYBRIT has achieved since its launch in 2016. Thanks to the successful results of the pilot project, we are well on our way to fundamentally changing the iron and steel industry. At SSAB, we are now investing heavily to convert the entire Nordic production system to fossil-free steel production and have already started delivering fossil-free steel to customers on a smaller scale, said Dr Martin Pei, Chief Technology Officer at SSAB and Chairman of the Board of Hybrit Development.
World’s first of its kind
The project is the first in the world to demonstrate that the fossil-free value chain – from iron ore to steel – works on a semi-industrial scale.
So far, more than 5,000 tonnes of hydrogen-reduced sponge iron have been produced at HYBRIT’s pilot plant in Luleå.
Customers such as Volvo Group, Epiroc, Peab, and many more are already using fossil-free steel in vehicles, heavy machinery, buildings, and consumer products.
According to Hybrit Development, interest in the technology is high.
Results prove HYBRIT’s fossil-free process
The research results presented in a final report to the Swedish Energy Agency, span from 2018 to 2024.
With a focus on scaling up technical solutions from the laboratory to the industrial scale, the research results in the report cover developing an industrial process practice and achieving an integrated value chain for hydrogen-based iron and steelmaking.
Examples of results from the pilot phase are:
- the development of a new hydrogen-based technology for efficient fossil-free iron and steel production with 0.0 tonnes of CO2 emissions per tonne of steel;
- the development of a new fossil-free iron product (sponge iron) that has significantly better properties than iron reduced with fossil gases such as natural gas;
- the successful long-term operation of alkaline electrolyzers for the production and storage of hydrogen; and
- the development of an efficient process practice for melting fossil-free sponge iron into crude steel in an electric arc furnace.
Moving into the next phase
HYBRIT has applied for and received several patents based on the successful results, and the project is now continuing in the next phase where the process is to be implemented on an industrial scale.
The focus of HYBRIT’s technical development has been to build up expertise and create technical conditions for the implementation of a fossil-free process in full-scale production. We are very pleased that we as a team have been able to deliver successful results that have met or exceeded the set project goals. The knowledge and experience we have developed during the project will now be focused on continuing the process development, primarily to support the owners´ industrialization projects, said Ulf Spolander, General Manager of Hybrit Development.
The results from the pilot phase pave the way for implementing the HYBRIT process on an industrial scale.
Hybrit Development will continue to conduct research and development to support the industrialization of the technology together with the owner companies, including delivering solutions to LKAB’s planned demonstration plant in Gällivare.
It has been a groundbreaking journey in a short period of time. The results from the pilot phase show that the process works and that we are ready for the next stage, where the demonstration plant that LKAB plans to build in Gällivare will be the first step toward the industrial production of sponge iron. Our high-quality iron ore combined with good access to fossil-free energy provides unique conditions for establishing a competitive value chain for future fossil-free iron and steel production, said Jenny Greberg, VP of Technology at LKAB and board member of Hybrit Development.
The pilot project for storing fossil-free hydrogen in Svartöberget in Luleå will continue until 2026.
It is very gratifying to see the positive results of our targeted collaboration, partnership is a recipe for success. The next step is to scale up to an industrial scale where fossil-free electricity and hydrogen enable the transition to a future where it is possible for everyone to transport, produce, and live fossil-free, said Andreas Regnell, Head of Strategic Development at Vattenfall and board member of Hybrit Development.
The HYBRIT project has been awarded funding by the EU Innovation Fund and by Industriklivet.
It is also part of the European IPCEI project Hy2Use (Hydrogen), which involves a total of 35 projects from 12 countries to support rapid transition and increase the competitiveness of the European industrial sector.
The path towards net-zero emissions in industry requires investment in innovative and technology-shifting solutions. This is where The Industrial Leap plays an important role. The ambition is that the knowledge from the various initiatives will spread and accelerate the industry’s transition, said Klara Helstad, Head of the Sustainable Industry Unit at the Swedish Energy Agency.
