In April, the Hydrogen-based fine-ore reduction (HYFOR) pilot plant developed by Primetals Technologies was commissioned at the voestalpine site in Donawitz, Austria. First tests were successful. Test with various iron ore concentrates will continue to collect a sound data basis.
Use of 100% hydrogen as a reduction agent reduces the CO2 footprint close to zero. The HYFOR pilot plant employs the worlds first direct reduction process for iron ore fines concentrates from ore beneficiation. This reduces CAPEX and OPEX costs. HYFOR represents the only process worldwide capable of processing iron ore concentrate fines with 100% particle sizes smaller than 0.15 mm, and a wide variety of ores, e.g. hematite and magnetite, supplied by different customers of Primetals Technologies worldwide. The direct reduction plant will come in a modular design, allowing for a tailor-made scaling for customers for all sizes of steel plants. First tests have been successfully executed in April and May 2021. The HYFOR pilot plant shall be operated for at least 2 years in multiple campaigns to test various ore types and to evaluate the optimal process parameters for the next scale-up step.