Voestalpine has started up a carbon capture pilot plant at its steel mill in Linz, Austria, Kallanish learns from supplier Andritz.
It separates carbon dioxide from the flue gases emitted during iron making using an amine-based process designed by Andritz. The captured CO2 is filled into large industrial gas bottles and delivered to an Austrian energy storage company that is investigating new ways of making it available for re-use in steel production, the plant-builder explains.
The plant was ordered by the K1-MET metallurgical competence centre. This is a research body working with national and international partners like voestalpine to address issues such as energy efficiency, circular economy, and climate-neutral metal production.
The plant was built in addition to voestalpine’s other ventures aimed at reducing emissions by using direct reduced iron and hydrogen. However, “the availability of renewable energy and green hydrogen will not be sufficient to meet medium-term climate targets. Carbon capture will play a key role in significantly reducing CO2 emissions in this transition phase,” says Andritz chief executive Joachim Schönbeck.
Christian Koehl Germany
