New R&D project “BioReSteel”

Ingelia participates in the European R&D project BioReSteel “Valorization of wet biomass residues for sustainable steel production with efficient nutrient recycling”.

BioReSteel will develop a novel concept for biocarbon production suitable and optimized for the EAF steelmaking process. Instead of producing biochar from high-grade and high-value biomass resources (e.g., forest wood), BioReSteel focuses on exploring, developing, and utilizing hydrochar (a type of biocoal) derived from various locally available biomass residues via hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) process.

This technology is suitable for low-value, wet materials that are not valorized currently (mainly land-filled), due to its properties. The challenge is the adaption of the pristine materials to the requirements of the steelmaking process.

The concept will be proven by laboratory tests and validated by pilot trials and short-term industrial trials. In addition, the phosphorus (that is an undesired element for steelmaking) will be extracted and used as fertilizer, which adds a second value chain, optimizes process economics and contributes to the sustainability of the overall process.

Duration of the project: 42 months, 1 October 2023 – 31 March 2027

Project partners: Swerim, SSAB, RWTH Aachen University, FENO, RINA-CSM, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, CELSA-GSW, ORI, Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV)

The BioReSteel project has received funding from the European Union’s Research Fund for Coal & Steel (RFCS) N° 101112383.