ThyssenKrupp : World first in Duisburg as NRW economics minister Pinkwart launches tests at thyssenkrupp into blast furnace use of hydrogen

thyssenkrupp Steel has celebrated a world first. The Duisburg-based steel producer haslaunched a series of tests into the use of hydrogen in a working blast furnace. They are thefirst tests of their kind and are aimed at reducing significantly the CO2 emissions arisingduring steelmaking. The start of the test phase in the presence of NRW economics and digitalminister Prof. Dr. Andreas Pinkwart marks a milestone in the transformation towards climateneutralsteel production.

Interim target 2030: 30 percent reduction in emissions

The tests now started are an important part of thyssenkrupp's climate strategy to becomeclimate-neutral by 2050. By 2030 emissions from the company's own production andprocesses (scope 1 emissions) as well as emissions from the purchase of energy (scope 2)are to be reduced by 30 percent. 'We've set ourselves a clear goal with our climate strategy,'said Dr. Klaus Keysberg, member of the Executive Board of thyssenkrupp AG responsible forthe group's materials businesses. 'Steel production will play an important part in reachingour climate targets because the potential for reducing emissions is huge. That's why we'reworking flat out to drive the transition to hydrogen technology.'

Water vapor instead of CO2

In the classic blast furnace process around 300 kilograms of coke and 200 kilograms ofpulverized coal are needed to produce a ton of pig iron. The coal is injected as an additionalreducing agent into the bottom of the blast furnace shaft through 28 so-called tuyeres. At thestart of the tests today hydrogen was injected through one of these tuyeres into blast furnace9. It marks the start of a series of tests in which thyssenkrupp Steel plans to gradually extendthe use of hydrogen to all 28 tuyeres on blast furnace 9 and then, from 2022, to all threefurther blast furnaces. The advantage is that whereas injecting coal produces CO2 emissions,using hydrogen generates water vapor. CO2 savings of up to 20 percent are therefore alreadypossible at this point in the production process.'Today is a groundbreaking day for the steel industry,' said Premal Desai, Chairman ofthyssenkrupp Steel Europe. 'We are doing pioneering work here. The use of hydrogen is thekey lever for climate-neutral steel production. Today's test is another step in thetransformation of our production which will culminate in green steel. At the same time, wesee what is possible when business and government work together towards a common goal.We are very grateful to the state of North Rhine-Westphalia for supporting the project.'

Support from state of NRW

The project is being funded under the IN4climate.NRW initiative launched by the stategovernment and is scientifically supported by the BFI research institute. The stategovernment gave funding approval for the first test phase in April 2019. NRW economics anddigital minister Prof. Dr. Andreas Pinkwart: 'The project is an important step on the path to agreenhouse gas-neutral industry and a good example of how innovative key technologiescan be developed in North Rhine-Westphalia. We need to keep driving the use of hydrogenin industry because it offers great opportunities, especially in steel production.'

From lab to industrial scale

The start of the test phase also marks the project's transition to industrial scale. Preliminaryinvestigations and simulations have been carried out over recent months. The tests in aworking blast furnace take the project to the next level. 'We want to reduce emissions withhydrogen while continuing to produce pig iron of the same quality,' explains Dr. Arnd Köfler,thyssenkrupp Steel Europe's Chief Technical Officer. 'At the same time we are breaking newground with the tests on blast furnace 9 so it is now a question of continuously analyzing andevaluating the furnace's operation. The results will help us to widen the use of hydrogen toall 28 tuyeres.'

Hydrogen infrastructure more and more important

Hydrogen will be a key driver of thyssenkrupp Steel's climate strategy in the coming decades.Following the conversion of the blast furnaces, the company plans to build large-scale directreduction plants, which will then be operating with hydrogen-containing gases, starting in the mid-2020s. The sponge iron they produce will initially be melted down in the existing blastfurnaces but in the long term will be processed into crude steel in electric arc furnaces usingrenewable energies.In Air Liquide the project has a partner on board for the injection tests who has expertise inthe entire hydrogen value chain from production and storage to the development of endconsumer uses. Gilles Le Van, CEO of Air Liquide Deutschland: 'Hydrogen is the key to boththe energy transition and industrial transformation. This special molecule can be both a rawmaterial for industry and a medium for energy storage and recovery. At Air Liquide, we areconvinced of the potential of a global hydrogen economy - and we bring more than 60 yearsof experience and innovation in this field to our joint project work. Together, we are shapingGermany's hydrogen future and contributing to the achievement of climate goals.'

About thyssenkrupp Steel Europe

thyssenkrupp Steel Europe is one of the world's leading suppliers of carbon steel flatproducts. With around 27,000 employees, the company supplies high-quality steel productsfor innovative and demanding applications in a wide variety of industries. Customer-specificmaterial solutions and services around steel complete the range of services. With aproduction volume of approximately 12 million tons of crude steel annually, thyssenkruppSteel is the largest flat steel producer in Germany.

https://www.thyssenkrupp-steel.com/en/

About Air Liquide

A world leader in gases, technologies and services for industry and health, Air Liquide ispresent in 80 countries with approximately 66,000 employees and in 2018 achieved sales ofaround 21 billion euros. The company supplies three quarters of the industrial companies inthe DAX index and is thus an important pillar of the German economy. Air Liquide Deutschlandis at home in NRW and is active in trade associations such as the German ChemicalIndustry Association (VCI).

https://www.airliquide.com/

About In4climate

With the 'IN4climate.NRW' initiative, the state government is supporting the necessary transformationprocesses in industry. Experts from business, science and administration are workingon strategies and solutions for how industry can maintain its competitiveness, generateadditional growth and contribute to achieving the Paris climate protection goals.

https://www.in4climate.nrw/

About BFI

As a non-profit research institute within the VDEh steel institute, BFI has been supporting thesteel industry in particular with solutions for current and future challenges for 50 years now.It sees itself as a research partner who with its technical expertise and many years ofexperience creates the important link between research findings and industrial practice. Newtopics such as energy efficiency, process optimization, measurement technology andindustry 4.0 are focal points of its research work.

http://www.bfi.de/de/