![]() ![]() The Paris Agreement opened for signature on Earth Day 2016 and entered into force on 4 November 2016. The only emission from using hydrogen as fuel or in fuel cells is water. ![]() Proponents of a world-scale Hydrogen Economy argue that hydrogen can be an environmentally cleaner source of energy to end-users without the release of pollutants, such as particulate matter or carbon dioxide at the point of end use. It has been put forth to solve some of the negative effects of using hydrocarbon fuels, which release carbon to the atmosphere as CO2, CO, unburnt hydrocarbons, etc. The Hydrogen Economy is a proposed system of delivering energy using hydrogen. As green hydrogen becomes available and cost effective, the MIDREX Process can be converted to MIDREX H2 in stages allowing steelmakers to take advantage of CO2 reduction immediately and further reduce emissions in the future without major capital expenditure. This article discusses the status of the transition from a Carbon Economy to a Hydrogen Economy, its challenges, and various ongoing activities. Unfortunately, hydrogen is not currently available at sufficient scale and low enough cost for rapid adoption. The best possibility for significantly reducing the CO2 footprint now and in the future is to use green hydrogen to produce DRI/HBI, which then can be used as feed-stock for steelmaking. While the MIDREX® Process using natural gas, paired with an electric arc furnace (EAF) has the lowest CO2 emissions of any steelmaking route using iron ore, there is room to further decrease emissions using hydrogen as a fuel and chemical reactant in the direct reduction process. “The new facility will also increase steelmaking capacity from 2.8 million to 3.7 million liquid tons – that’s over 30 per cent more capacity.Mitigating carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in the iron and steel industry will become even more critical in Western Europe as the cost of CO2 emissions increases over time. “The furnaces are designed with special enclosures unique to North America that will contain noise deterrents, providing a safer, cleaner, and quieter work environment.” “It will dramatically shrink Algoma’s environmental footprint, resulting in cleaner air and water in the community.” “It’s a good chance to really clean up what we have, and it’s a better way to make steel,” he says. Gillespie notes the project will eventually position Algoma among the leading producers of green steel in North America. “In the second phase, as the availability of electric power from the grid increases, we’ll be able to run both furnaces together by 2029.” “During the first phase, we plan to alternate arcing on one furnace at a time, supplementing the scrap charge with approximately 30 per cent hot metal from the blast furnace which will be operating at a reduced level. “The proposed operational transition will occur in two phases. Senior project supervisor Shane Gillespie says they are on track for commissioning in the spring of 2024. The project is also expected to generate 500 new construction jobs for the community. In addition to the two electric arc furnaces, the new steelmaking facility will include a power sub-station, water treatment plant, two dedicated baghouses, and a vacuum degasser. Wednesday’s tour primarily focused on the preparations being carried out for the foundations of several areas of the future facility, including the Scrap Yard and Melt Shop. The furnaces are expected to come online in 2024, and ultimately, the transformation aims to reduce Algoma’s greenhouse emissions by up to 70 per cent when construction efforts reach the final stages in 2029. The $703-million project will feature a pair of electric arc furnaces (EAF) that will replace the plant’s existing blast furnace, coke oven batteries, and basic oxygen steelmaking operations. On Wednesday, SooToday had a rare opportunity to join a visiting delegation from the Ontario Building Officials Association (OBOA) on a tour of the construction site of Algoma Steel’s future electric arc steelmaking facility. Marie’s history is so far on budget and on time, according to Algoma Steel officials.
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