【Ten Years of Rapid Development in Chemical Processing Equipment】Core Equipment of the World’s First Pure Hydrogen Shaft Furnace Pilot Production Line – Pure Hydrogen Shaft Furnace, 1960–2022

The project utilizes pure hydrogen metallurgy technologies and equipment, as well as processes for producing high-purity, ultra-pure, and extra-ultra-pure materials, all of which were developed independently by China Iron and Steel Research Institute and hold independent intellectual property rights. Its goal is to become a world-leading hub for innovation in green and high-end steel metallurgy technologies as well as for the commercialization of such innovations. It aims to establish a new technological innovation system for the entire pure hydrogen metallurgy industry chain, covering basic research, technological innovation, pilot-scale development, and technology commercialization, thereby creating comprehensive green smelting solutions based on pure hydrogen metallurgy. Upon completion of the project, carbon dioxide emissions per ton of crude steel produced will be reduced by 87% compared to the traditional blast furnace-converter process. This will significantly facilitate a transformative shift toward a \"low-carbon, near-zero carbon\" and \"high-end\" development for Linyi’s steel industry, with the goal of establishing it as a technical hub for the steel industry in Shandong Province that can serve the entire country, thereby promoting the green and high-end transformation of steel enterprises in Shandong and across the nation.

The world’s first pure hydrogen shaft furnace developed and designed independently – amazing! Like!

Wish a prosperous and strong China.

On February 15, 2022, the construction of Baosteel Zhanjiang’s zero-carbon demonstration plant’s million-ton-scale hydrogen-based shaft furnace project began. This project is the first of its kind in China with a capacity of one million tons per year using a hydrogen-based shaft furnace; it is also the first direct reduction production line in the country that utilizes both hydrogen and coke oven gas for industrial production. Baosteel Zhanjiang Iron and Steel actively follows the carbon-neutral metallurgy roadmap set by China Baowu as a guiding principle, and earnestly explores hydrogen-based metallurgy processes centered on vertical furnaces. Baosteel Zhanjiang Iron and Steel, with its ambitious goal of achieving zero carbon emissions, is planning to build China’s first million-ton-scale hydrogen-based shaft furnace. At the same time, it is conducting research on the addition of electric furnaces and related production lines to this facility, aiming to create China’s first fully hydrogen-based, green, zero-carbon demonstration production line in the steel industry. Through sustainable manufacturing practices, this facility will produce green products with zero carbon emissions and ultra-low energy consumption, thereby contributing to the development of a green industry. Baosteel Zhanjiang’s million-ton hydrogen-based shaft furnace serves as a demonstrative and iconic project for low-carbon metallurgy in the steel industry. With a total investment of 1.89 billion yuan, the project was designed by Sinosteel International. Its main facilities include the shaft furnace itself, systems for loading and unloading materials, a product cooling system, a gas circulation system, systems for feeding raw materials and discharging finished products, as well as supporting systems for pellet supply, energy and auxiliary services, and information technology. The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2023. Once in operation, it will enable the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions by over 500,000 tons per year compared to traditional blast furnace ironmaking processes of similar scale. Within China Baowu’s roadmap for carbon-neutral metallurgy, the hydrogen-based shaft furnace-based hydrogen metallurgy process has been identified as one of the key approaches to achieving carbon neutrality. This process involves producing \"green hydrogen\" through renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power; virtually no greenhouse gases are generated during production, thus eliminating carbon emissions at the source. It represents a steel manufacturing process with the potential to achieve near-zero carbon emissions, thereby helping China Baowu reach its carbon-neutral goals

Hydrogen metallurgy refers to the use of hydrogen as the main reducing agent in the reduction smelting process. Hydrogen is the most reactive reducing agent; in the gas-solid reduction of iron oxides, increasing the proportion of hydrogen in the gaseous reducing agent can significantly enhance its reduction rate and efficiency. Compared to the reduction potential of carbon monoxide, the reduction potential of hydrogen is **higher than that of carbon monoxide. By using hydrogen as a reducing agent, the reduction efficiency and rate in hydrometallurgy are much higher than those in carbon metallurgy. Iron ore can be directly reduced to iron in a solid state, serving as a pure raw material for producing high-quality steel and special steels. It can also be used as an iron-containing material in fields such as casting, ferroalloys, and powder metallurgy. Since iron production does not involve the use of coke, and instead oxidized pellets or cold-pressed pellets are used as raw materials without the need for sintered ore, hydrogen metallurgy represents a revolutionary new processing technique that is high-quality, energy-efficient, produces near-zero pollution, and is carbon-free. It is recognized worldwide as the cleanest and most environmentally friendly metallurgical technology; it helps to promote the concept of green development in this industry, improve the level of green manufacturing, and achieve complete industrial upgrading. (1) Traditional blast furnace ironmaking uses CO produced by the incomplete combustion of coke as a reducing agent, whereas hydrogen metallurgy uses hydrogen with high chemical energy as a reducing agent; this change in the reducing agent leads to fundamental changes in the efficiency of the metallurgical process. Based on the reaction mechanism, the reduction potential of H2 is 11 times that of CO. Due to its small molecular diameter, H2 has a penetration capacity in iron ore that is 5 times greater than that of CO, **which increases the reaction rate and reduces the required reaction temperature; as a result, iron ore can be directly reduced to pure iron without undergoing any phase change. Therefore, the use of hydrogen as a reducing agent in blast furnaces theoretically enables rapid reduction. Hydrogen reduction is an endothermic reaction; if the hydrogen content in the blast furnace increases, there will be a shortage of heat within the furnace. Preventing this heat shortage is key to hydrogen reduction. In hydrogen reduction, powdering occurs as the iron ore is reduced, which obstructs the gas flow within the blast furnace; therefore, it is necessary to study measures to prevent poor air permeability in the blast furnace. (2) The carbo-metallurgical reaction is Fe2O3 + 3CO = 2Fe + 3CO2, while the hydro-metallurgical reaction is Fe2O3 + 3H2 = 2Fe + 3H2O; shifting from carbo-metallurgy to hydro-metallurgy represents a significant change in the steel production process. The final product of carbon metallurgy is CO2. The CO2 emissions from the steel industry account for about 14–15% of the country’s total CO2 emissions. CO2 emissions from blast furnace iron production amount to 73.1%. In hydrogen metallurgy, the reducing agent is H2, and the final product is H2O, achieving zero CO2 emissions. Therefore, switching from carbon metallurgy to hydrogen metallurgy is the best option for the steel industry to develop a low-carbon economy. (3) In hydrogen metallurgy, it does not come into contact with coke during the metallurgical process; the DRI produced is high-purity iron, resulting in high product quality, which facilitates the production of high-purity steel in electric furnaces. The process of ultra-pure refining of molten steel using high-purity sponge iron produced through hydrogen reduction as the main raw material differs from the conventional processes of decarburization of carbon-saturated molten steel, deoxidation of molten steel, and removal of endogenous inclusions by flotation. Ultra-pure sponge iron has a high melting temperature; therefore, how to achieve its rapid melting and separation of slag from metal under effective protection conditions, in order to obtain ultra-pure steel melt, is one of the key technical aspects of this approach.

Wish a prosperous and strong China.