In a statement, ArcelorMittal said it will collaborate with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Engineering, which is developing carbon capture technology, and coal and iron ore miner BHP Group on the multi-year trial. Trials will take place at ArcelorMittal’s steel plant in Gent, Belgium, and at one of its direct reduction plants in North America. 

“In Gent, the trial will have two phases. The first phase involves separating and capturing the CO₂ top gas from the blast furnace at a rate of around 300 kg of CO₂ a day – a technical challenge due to the differing levels of contaminants in the top gas. The second phase involves testing the separating and capture of CO₂ from the offgases in the hot strip mill reheating furnace, which burns a mixture of industrial gases including coke gas, blast furnace gases and natural gas,” ArcelorMittal said. 

In North America, a mobile test unit is to be set up at one of the company’s direct reduction plants to try out Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Engineering’s technology in that process route.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Engineering has a proprietary CO₂ capture process that it has been developing in collaboration with Kansai Electric Power since 1990. As of October 2022, it has delivered 14 plants globally and two more are currently under construction.

“The steel sector, as a major emitter of CO_2, is still a new frontier for carbon capture, utilization and storage. Deploying our proven technology quickly and at scale could contribute to curbing emissions in the near term, while new technologies for low-carbon steelmaking are brought to market and scaled up. We, as an innovative solutions provider, are excited to work with ArcelorMittal, BHP and Mitsubishi Development to accelerate the industry’s efforts to reach net zero by 2050,” said Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Engineering president and chief executive Kenji Terasawa.