Imagine steel factories producing a messy mix of dust and sludge that usually goes to a landfill. This process uses green hydrogen to act like a chemical magnet, pulling out pure iron and zinc from that waste. It turns industrial trash into valuable raw materials that can be sold or reused in the factory.
Steel plants produce hazardous zinc-containing dusts and sludges that are expensive to landfill and carbon-intensive to treat. Current recovery methods rely on fossil fuels, contradicting decarbonization goals.
A combined pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical process. It produces Direct Reduced Iron (DRI), zinc oxide concentrate, and treated wastewater.
If you are an EAF operator dealing with high volumes of BOF or EAF dust—this project developed a hydrogen reduction process that produces Direct Reduced Iron (DRI) to be recycled directly back into your furnace.
If you are a zinc smelter looking for sustainable raw materials—this project developed a way to extract a zinc-rich concentrate from steelmaking by-products that can be marketed as a feedstock for your industry.
If you are a waste processor dealing with dangerous steel sludges—this project developed a combined pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical route that avoids landfilling and produces safe wastewater for reuse.
Based on available project data, specific cost figures are not provided, but the project focuses on developing economic criteria and new business models to ensure viability.
The technology is being developed and endorsed at a lab pilot scale, targeting TRL6.
Based on available project data, there is no specific mention of licensing terms, though the project aims to create transferable scientific and technological know-how.
The process integrates by taking by-products like EAF dust and mill scales and converting them into DRI for use in Electric Arc Furnaces (EAF).
The project runs from 2024-01-01 to 2026-12-31, focusing on conceptual integration to accelerate upscaling toward a commercial scale.
The consortium is heavily industry-driven, with 5 industrial partners representing 56% of the 9 total members. This high industry ratio, combined with 3 research entities and 1 SME across 6 countries, suggests a strong focus on commercial viability and direct application within the steel sector.
Contact Fundacion Circe in Spain for technical details on H2-based reduction.
Contact us to find partners for scaling TRL6 steel recycling pilots.
