Australian mining company Rio Tinto announced that, together with China Baowu, they have successfully completed a commercial palletization and direct reduction trial in China using Pilbara Blend iron ore, marking a significant step in efforts to develop low carbon steel production technologies.
The trials were part of the companies' ongoing decarbonization partnership and demonstrate the potential of using Pilbara iron ore for direct reduction based hydrogen.
Hydrogen-based shaft furnace tested successfully
The tests were conducted at Zhanjiang Steel's Baoshan Iron & Steel, where a hydrogen-based shaft furnace was used to produce direct reduced iron (DRI) from pellets containing approximately one-third of Pilbara Blend iron ore. The resulting DRI was subsequently converted into steel using an industrial-scale oxygen furnace, and was also tested in a small electric smelter.
The results confirm that medium-grade iron ore from the Pilbara region of Western Australia can be used as a feedstock in hydrogen-based direct reduction processes, the companies said.
A potential pathway for low carbon steel production steel
The companies said the trials demonstrate the potential of Pilbara Blend ore to support future low-carbon steel production when combined with electric smelting furnace technology.
Although direct reduction processes are currently used primarily with high-grade iron ore, expanding the range of suitable feedstocks remains a key focus for the steel industry as it seeks to reduce emissions carbon.
Successful testing provides further evidence that Pilbara ores may have a role to play in the future. steel production methods that produce significantly lower emissions than traditional blast furnaces.
