ARCELORMITTAL BELGIUM NV

Their core work

ArcelorMittal Belgium is the Belgian arm of the world's largest steelmaker, actively investing in decarbonization of steel production through carbon capture, CO2 conversion, and industrial symbiosis. They serve as both a technology demonstrator and an industrial end-user in EU projects, providing real steelmaking off-gases and infrastructure for testing bio-ethanol production, torrefaction, and electrochemical CO2 conversion at scale. Their projects consistently target the transformation of steel industry waste streams — flue gases, CO2 emissions, and by-products — into fuels, chemicals, and sustainable construction materials.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In 2015–2018, ArcelorMittal focused heavily on proving that steel plant off-gases (CO, CO2) could be captured and converted into bio-products, fuels, and chemical building blocks — launching their flagship STEELANOL and Torero demonstrations alongside membrane-based CO2 capture (GENESIS). From 2019 onward, the focus shifted toward electrochemical and electrocatalytic conversion technologies (eCOCO2, eForFuel), industrial CCUS clusters (C4U), and broader industrial symbiosis including sustainable construction materials and cross-sector resource integration (INITIATE). The trajectory shows a clear move from first-generation biological conversion toward electricity-driven chemistry and systems-level industrial decarbonization.

ArcelorMittal is moving from biological CO2 conversion toward electricity-powered catalytic processes and cross-industry resource loops, signaling readiness for partnerships in Power-to-X and circular industrial ecosystems.

How they like to work

ArcelorMittal Belgium coordinates selectively — only 2 of 13 projects — but when they lead, they lead big (EUR 7-8M per coordinated project, both large-scale demonstrations). As a participant, they typically contribute modest funding shares, serving as the industrial demonstration site or end-user that grounds research in real-world steelmaking conditions. With 169 unique consortium partners across 30 countries, they are a well-connected hub, but their value to consortia lies not in networking — it lies in offering access to one of Europe's largest steel plants as a living laboratory.

Extensive European network spanning 169 unique partners across 30 countries, reflecting the breadth of disciplines needed for industrial decarbonization — from catalysis researchers to membrane developers to biotech labs. No obvious geographic concentration; the network is truly pan-European.

What sets them apart

ArcelorMittal Belgium offers something few partners can: access to real industrial-scale steel production infrastructure for testing decarbonization technologies under actual operating conditions. Their two coordinated projects (STEELANOL and Torero) are among the largest H2020 demonstrations of waste gas-to-biofuel conversion in Europe, giving them unmatched experience in scaling lab concepts to industrial reality. For any consortium targeting heavy industry decarbonization, they bring both the technical site and the corporate mandate to implement results — not just publish papers.

Highlights from their portfolio

• Torero
  Largest single EC contribution (EUR 7.8M), coordinated by ArcelorMittal — a flagship large-scale demonstration of torrefied wood to bio-ethanol in a working steel plant.
• STEELANOL
  EUR 7.1M coordinated project running 9 years (2015-2024), pioneering gas-fermentation technology to convert steelmaking off-gases into bio-ethanol at industrial scale.
• INITIATE
  Their most recent project (2020-2026), combining industrial symbiosis between steel and chemical sectors with AI-driven process control at TRL7 demonstration scale.