“We are already the world leaders in natural gas injection, and this success confirms there is a bright, sustainable and environmentally friendly future for the much needed BF-BOF steelmaking technology,” Cleveland-Cliffs chairman and chief executive Lourenco Goncalves said in a statement. 

According to Cleveland-Cliffs, the trial, completed 8 May, was carried out on the No. 3 furnace at its Middletown Works. The company said hydrogen was injected through all 20 tuyeres and displaced some of the coke that normally would have been consumed in the process. 

Cliffs said it observed no impact to product quality or operating efficiency.

The hydrogen was delivered via the pipeline and transportation infrastructure already in place to meet the mill’s current hydrogen needs, which include its annealing furnaces. 

“We are proud to be the first company in the Americas to inject hydrogen into a blast furnace – a demonstration of our commitment to develop and implement breakthrough technological advancements toward decarbonization,” Goncalves said. 

“Cleveland-Cliffs thrives on innovation, so it was fitting that this major step was completed just a short distance from our Cliffs Research and Innovation Center in Middletown, Ohio. This achievement proves our ability to use green hydrogen throughout our footprint when it becomes readily and economically available, including in our seven blast furnaces and our state-of-the-art direct reduction facility.”