In a statement, ArcelorMittal said its European long products unit has signed a memorandum of understanding with Norway-based Vow ASA and its ETIA subsidiary to cooperate on the preliminary work, including financing and engineering. 

“The biogas will be made using Vow’s patented ‘biogreen’ pyrolysis technology, which involves heating sustainable biomass at high temperatures. The gases emitted during this process are then captured and processed into biogas, which will directly replace the use of natural gas in the Rodange plant’s rolling mill reheating furnace. Byproducts such as biocoal will also be created during the process, and reused within ArcelorMittal, directly replacing the use of coal,” ArcelorMittal said. 

The biogas plant would be built at ArcelorMittal’s Rodange facility in Luxembourg and the partners are targeting a 2023 start-up. 

“We see significant potential in the use of biogas as a replacement for natural gas within ArcelorMittal Europe – Long Products’ facilities, and in helping us to achieve our ambition of being carbon-neutral by 2050. This technically challenging project is truly groundbreaking, in its ability to create synthetic gas for industrial use, from sustainable biomass,” said Vincent Cholet, chief technical officer for ArcelorMittal Europe – Long Products.