A carbon capture unit operating on a blast furnace has started its trial run at ArcelorMittal’s facility in the Belgian city of Ghent.
According to a news release on BHP’s website, the carbon capture unit involves combined efforts from ArcelorMittal and its partners Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Mitsubishi Development Pty Ltd, and BHP.
As outlined in the release, the carbon capture unit is embarking on a one—to two-year pilot phase. This crucial period will not only test the unit’s functionality but also lay the groundwork for future expansion of the project to a larger scale.
Development on the project on-site has been underway since January to set up and activate the unit. If the pilot run is successful and the project is expanded, the site could capture significant emissions at the Ghent site.
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The pilot unit’s testing is reportedly divided into two stages. The initial focus will emphasise “separating and capturing the CO2 from the top gas from the blast furnace at a rate of around 300kg of CO2 a day”, according to the release.
The release mentions that the second phase of the trial will involve testing the extraction and capture of CO2 in the “off-gases in the hot strip mill reheating furnace.” The furnace burns a combination of industrial gases, including coke gas, blast furnace gases, and natural gas.
The release also mentions that the progress made on the carbon capture solution at Gent could contribute to various CO2 transportation and storage projects being developed in the North Sea region and to global technological advancements needed to reduce carbon emissions from steel production.