Breakthrough biofuel production facility announced

A leading steel and mining company has announced the signing of a letter of intent to construct Europe’s first-ever commercial scale production facility to create bioethanol from waste gases produced during the steelmaking process.

ArcelorMittal is signing the €87m deal along with LanzaTech, a carbon recycling company, and Primetals Technologies, a technology and service provider to the iron and steel industry. The construction of the facility will result in bioethanol that can cut greenhouse gas emissions by over 80% compared to conventional fossil fuels. The bioethanol will predominantly be used in fuel blending, but it can also be further processed into other products such as drop-in jet fuel. A total of €10.2m has been secured from Horizon 2020, and further financing will be sought from a number of different sources.

Commenting Carl De Maré, vice-president for innovation at ArcelorMittal, said: “Steel is produced through a chemical process that results in high levels of waste gases being emitted; this new technology will enable us to convert some of these waste gases into fuels that deliver significant environmental benefits when compared to conventional fossil fuels. It is an example of why our carbon footprint should be viewed on a lifecycle analysis basis, given that steel is 100% recyclable, and the material impact we make on reducing the carbon footprint of our customers through product innovation.”

Construction of the flagship pilot project, which will be located at ArcelorMittal’s steel plant in Ghent, Belgium, is anticipated to commence later this year, with bioethanol production expected to start mid-2017. Assembly work will be in two phases, with phase one providing an initial capacity of 16,000 tonnes of ethanol per annum by mid-2017 and phase two, which will be completed in 2018, bringing the total capacity to 47,000 tonnes of ethanol per annum.