The Australian government has announced the allocation of $26 million in funding to Perth-based Element Zero for the pilot development of a technology aimed at producing high-purity iron from Australian iron ore using a low-emission electrochemical process..
Funding will be provided by the Future Made in Australia Innovation Fund, managed by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), to support the $53.7 million Element Zero project.
The electrochemical process of obtaining iron without the use of угля
The project will test an electrochemical iron production process that uses electricity and molten salts to convert iron ore into iron without using coal. According to the government, the technology is designed to operate at temperatures of approximately 400-450°C, which is significantly lower than those normally required for smelting conventional cast iron.
The project will be implemented in two phases. At the first stage, Element Zero will create a pilot plant capable of producing about one ton of iron per day. After the official review, the production capacity will be increased to 10 tons per day in the second stage. The pilot project will process various types of Australian iron ore, including hematite-goethite ores, to demonstrate the potential of the technology to Australian and international steel companies.
The project aims to test the technology of lower-grade iron ore production in the Pilbara выбросов
The Australian government has stated that this project could enable the use of iron ore in the Pilbara to produce lower-emission pig iron, allowing the country to benefit more from its iron ore resources and strengthen domestic supply chains. industrial supply chains.
The investments are part of ARENA's portfolio of projects aimed at exploring potential ways to produce environmentally friendly iron for large-scale production, including hydrogen-based technologies. Environmentally friendly metals are also among the priorities of the Australian Government's "Future Made in Australia" program.
Australian Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen said the project could help boost the value of Australian iron ore and reduce emissions in one of the most challenging industrial sectors, decarbonisation. Meanwhile, Minister of Natural Resources Madeleine King said that such projects could contribute to the development of new methods for converting Australian resources into products with higher added value in the country.
There are no comments yet.