How can biochar — an organic material created by heating wood or other plant material in the absence of oxygen — play a role in replacing fossil coal in the steel industry? And how valuable is the byproduct syngas as a raw material for Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF)? These questions are central to the Bio4Steel project.
In short:
- The steel industry in its current form is energy intensive and emits significant amounts of CO2. The global steel industry is responsible for around 8% of total CO2 emissions;
- Switching to large-scale production of green steel will significantly reduce emissions, has environmental benefits and contributes to a sustainable and resilient economy;
- Bio4Steel contributes to the raw material transition by using biobased feedstock and closing the loop in an industrial value chain.
About the Bio4Steel project
The project investigates the potential to replacepulverised fossil coal with biochar in the Blast Furnace application of Tata Steel. This would mean a direct reduction of fossil CO2 emissions in steel production.
To this end:
- Biochar will be produced from certified and sustainably sourced biomass;
- The effectiveness of biochar as a partial substitute for pulverized coal will be tested and validated via process models;
- A demonstration is needed to evaluate whether the use of biochar in Tata Steel’s operations is suitable for application.
The activities
Roughly, the consortium carries out the following activities;
- Production, testing and evaluation of biochar samples;
- Biochar validation tests to assess process performance and logistics impact;
- Evaluation and decision-making based on trial results.
Get in touch
For more information about the Bio4Steel project, please get in touch with the Project Leader Frank van der Zon (Tata Steel): frank.van-der-zon@tatasteeleurope.com.
Let’s get in touch
Kees Biesheuvel
Irene ten Dam
Acknowledgement & partners
