Researchers at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University’s Robinson Research Institute collaborate with Wellington UniVentures and New Zealand Steel to decarbonize steel.
Hydrogen instead of coal
Dr Chris Bumby and his team at the Robinson Research Institute have developed a novel technology which uses hydrogen instead of coal to produce iron and steel, potentially eliminating carbon dioxide emissions from New Zealand’s steel industry. Teaming up with Wellington Univentures and New Zealand Steel in a new collaboration, they are now aiming to accelerate the development of a pilot-scale plant for this process.
Custom-built reactor
In New Zealand, iron is produced from titanomagnetite ironsand. Dr Chris Bumby and his team at Robinson Research Institute have demonstrated how hydrogen can revolutionize this process. Replacing hydrogen for coal, the hydrogen reacts with New Zealand ironsand in a custom-built fluidized-bed reactor at temperatures up to 1000°C, to produce very high-purity iron. New Zealand Steel supplies all major markets including construction, manufacturing and agriculture. https://greensteelworld.com/
To date, Wellington UniVentures has supported the development of the research, by validating the technology, protecting the IP and identifying and approaching industry partners.
