ZHyRON - Valorisation of iron-rich & Zinc-containing steelmaking by-products via HYdrogen-based ReductiON

Initial situation:

Every year, over 50 million tonnes of by-products from steel production are recycled in the EU. However, around 49 million tonnes of CO2 are emitted in the process and there are problems with wastewater disposal. In addition, 250,000 tonnes of by-products end up in landfill due to their high zinc content.

The EU has set the goal of carbon neutrality by 2050, so the steel industry needs to reduce CO2 emission by 35%. This is why the steelmaking industry urgently needs new circular economy solutions, such as those explored in the ZHyRON project.

Project targets:

The project’s goal is to create a hydrogen-based method for recycling iron-rich and zinc-containing steelmaking by-products, in order to:

  • Produce Direct Reduced Iron for reuse in Electric Arc Furnaces.
  • Produce zinc-rich materials for valorization, such as in the zinc smelting industry.
  • Efficiently treat effluent for proper disposal or reuse.

Innovative approaches:

  • Development of a new recycling route for steelmaking by-products supports circular economy.
  • Combination of pyrometallurgical-hydrometallurgical processes with green hydrogen application.
  • Suitable for by-products like EAF dust, BOF dust, sludges, direct reduction sludge, pellet fines, and mill scales.
  • Iron is separated and converted into Direct Reduced Iron (DRI) for use in electric arc furnaces.
  • Zinc is recovered as zinc oxide concentrate for reuse in zinc smelting or other industries.

As part of the project, the BFI is developing solutions for recovering the zinc and reusing the process water. The process water will be treated by waste heat driven membrane distillation and reused for H2 production.

Benefits for the industry:

  • Improved hydrogen thermal reduction, wastewater treatment, and recovering metallic phases beyond what is currently available.
  • Reduced production costs for Fe- and Zn-derived products by at least 10 % and save 15-25 % of the energy used in traditional recycling methods.

About ZHyRON:

The project is funded by the European Health and Digital Agency (HaDEA) as part of the Clean Steel Partnership program.

Project duration: 01/2024 – 12/2026

Further information about the project: ZHyRON

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