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ORGANIZER;CN='8th ECIC & 9th ICSTI 2022':MAILTO:info@ecic-icsti.com
LOCATION:Room „Borgward“
SUMMARY:History, developments and processes of direct reduction of iron ores
DESCRIPTION:Blast furnaces need coke for iron ore reduction and melting of the ores to liquid hot metal whilst separating a part of the gangue components of the blast furnace charge materials via a liquid slag from the hot metal. Coke was always rated as the necessary evil of the blast furnace especially in those years, when cokemaking facilities had problems in environmental protechtion.
Direct reduction of iron ores is done in the solid stage without the need of coke. Just the main content of the oxygen is removed from the iron ores without melting and without slag metallurgy. This means, that all the gangue materials remain in the product sponge iron, called Direct Reduced Iron (DRI). Direct reduction processes can be classified by its kind of used reducing agent in gas-based processes and coal-based processes. Gas-based processes are shaft furnaces, retorts and fluidized beds. Coal-based processes are rotary kilns, rotary hearths and the multiple heath.
The advocates of the direct reduction technologies have forecast a quick penetration of these processes from the 1970ies on and a replacement of blast furnaces with especially the gas-based reduction processes. This never occurred. The worldwide production of DRI was 114 mil. t in 2021 whist the hot metal production of blast furnaces 1340 mill. t. The gas-based direct reduction processes have a share of 75 % at total DR production and this is mainly done in regions with cheap natural gas prices. The main processes are the Midrex and the HyL/Energiron shaft furnace technologies. These have been developed to high level and most efficient processes with an industrial scale-up to 2.5 mill. t DRI production per year in a single module. 
In Europe a Midrex DR plant was built a very early stage as the second industrial unit worldwide in 1971 in Hamburg, Germany, with a capacity of 400.000 t DRI/year. With respect to the high gas prices in Europe and the steady increase of blast furnaces size and efficiency it was the only DR installation by now. Due to its use of natural gas as reductant the DR-EAF route has lower CO2 emissions compared to the blast furnace converter route. On the background of the current European target to become a climate neutral region by 2050 the DR technology based on natural gas and hydrogen used in DR shaft furnaces for DRI production currently gain huge importance.

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