Reducing Iron Oxide with Ammonia: A Sustainable Path to Green Steel

• DOI: 10.1002/advs.202300111
• Publication Date: 2023-03-30T16:08:16Z
• Authors: Yan Ma; Jae Wung Bae; Se‐Ho Kim; Matic Jovičević‐Klug; Kejiang Li; Dirk Vogel; Dirk Ponge; Michael Rohwerder; Baptiste Gault; Dierk Raabe
• Keywords: Direct reduced iron; Ammonia production; Carbon fibers

Iron making is the biggest single cause of global warming. The reduction iron ores with carbon generates about 7% dioxide emissions to produce ≈1.85 billion tons steel per year. This dramatic scenario fuels efforts re-invent this sector by using renewable and carbon-free reductants electricity. Here, authors show how make sustainable reducing solid oxides hydrogen released from ammonia. Ammonia an annually 180 million ton traded chemical energy carrier, established transcontinental logistics low liquefaction costs. It can be synthesized green release again through reaction. advantage connects it making, for replacing fossil reductants. that ammonia-based oxide proceeds autocatalytic reaction, kinetically as effective hydrogen-based direct reduction, yields same metallization, industrially realized existing technologies. produced iron/iron nitride mixture subsequently melted in electric arc furnace (or co-charged into a converter) adjust composition target grades. A novel approach thus presented deploying intermittent energy, mediated ammonia, disruptive technology transition toward making.