In a statement, the equipment manufacturer said its direct reduced iron smelting furnace, when paired with a direct reduced iron plant, can drive down emissions without necessitating major downstream changes. 

The advantage of its smelting furnace, the company said, is that it can tolerate greater slag volumes than can a typical scrap- melting electric arc furnace, enabling the use of readily available blast furnace-grade iron ore instead of DRI-grade iron ore in the upstream direct reduction process. 

“The DRI smelting furnace is a true breakthrough technology,” said Jyrki Makkonen, Metso Outotec vice president, smelting.

Added Kimmo Vallo, Metso Outotec’s DRI smelting furnace product manager: “Combined with a direct reduction plant, the DRI smelting furnace will substitute blast furnaces in the production of hot metal. This is an optimal solution for primary steel producers aiming for a significant reduction in their CO₂ emissions with minimal changes to the rest of the steel plant.”