Air Liquide (Paris, France; www.airliquide.com) and thyssenkrupp Steel, a world leading supplier of carbon-steel flat products, join forces in a pioneering project to develop lower carbon steel production. For the first time, hydrogen will be injected to partially replace pulverized coal at a large scale in the blast furnace during steel production.
After successful completion of a pilot phase this autumn 2019, Air Liquide will ensure a stable supply of hydrogen from its 200 km network in the Rhine-Ruhr Area. This solution will be implemented at one of the blast furnaces in thyssenkrupp’s integrated steel mills in Duisburg site, Germany. Transferred to all blast furnaces at the site, thyssenkrupp aims at reducing CO2 emissions in the production process by up to 20%.
This initiative underlines the shared commitment of Air Liquide and thyssenkrupp Steel to a lower carbon future pathway. Both companies have set ambitious goals to curb their emissions drastically. As part of its global approach to climate, Air Liquide has committed to promote solutions to help its clients reduce their carbon footprint.
Hydrogen will play a significant role in the transition to a low-carbon future. It can replace coal used in iron and steel industrial processes such as in this project. Hydrogen can also be stored and transported in large quantities, allowing uses across many domains, such as transport, heat, industry and electricity. In the past 50 years, Air Liquide has developed unique expertise enabling it to master the entire hydrogen supply chain, from production and storage to distribution.
Guy Salzgeber, Executive Vice-President and member of the Air Liquide group’s Executive Committee supervising industrial activities in Europe, said: “Hydrogen is a cornerstone of the energy transition. We are very proud to announce this innovative project with our long-term partner thyssenkrupp to foster a low carbon steel production. This initiative fully reflects our strategy to collaborate with our clients to develop solutions to accompany their journey towards a more sustainable industry.”