The technology came to fruition under Australia’s largest ever research and development project and produces iron from iron ore fines and non-coking coals by injecting the materials into a molten iron bath.
According to Rio, the technology has the potential to “change the future of iron making” and will unlock billions of tonnes of Pilbara iron ore previously classified as low-grade and not thought immediately marketable.
The HIsmelt process requires non-coking coal, which is crushed and dried prior to injection into the Smelt Reduction Vessel with the iron fines. Rio said a wide range of coals that are currently not suitable for the blast furnace can be used at a lower cost.
Speaking at the 25 year anniversary celebrations at the pioneering HIsmelt pig-iron plant in Kwinana on Thursday HIsmelt managing director Stephan Weber predicted that five more plants would be operating or under construction worldwide in 10 years time.
While China is the main market for steelmaking at the moment, Weber said groups in Europe, North America and India have also expressed interest in the technology which he said produces hot metal about 10% cheaper than traditional blast furnaces.
“We’ve got a lot of interest,” Rio Tinto iron ore chief executive Sam Walsh said yesterday.
“I think every major steel mill in the world has visited and as we mentioned we’ve had the chairman and premier of China also visit, so to me that sort of signifies that people can see the prominence and opportunity that HIsmelt provides.
“We’re nearing the stage when we can push those buttons and get things moving offshore.”
While the technology may not immediately replace traditional blast furnaces currently being operated Weber said he believes when they come to the end of their lives replacement with a HIsmelt plant will be a very viable option.
The HIsmelt process produces an iron suitable for hot metal feed for concurrent steelmaking operations or cast into pigs.
The process also produces slag which can be used in the construction and agricultural industries.
The technology reduces the cost of making iron through elimination of front-end processes like coke ovens and the use of cheaper fine iron ores and non-coking coals.
In addition to its favourable feed characteristics, HIsmelt is also more environmentally friendly.
It is more energy efficient than coke ovens, sinter plants and pellet plants and does not emit dioxins, furans or polycyclic-aromatic hydrocarbons.
Rio says the Kwinana plant has comparable greenhouse gas emissions to the most efficient blast furnaces in the world and is more than 50% more efficient when compared to the poorer blast furnaces in China, Eastern Europe and Russia.
Some $1 billion has been spent on HIsmelt since the project started 25 years ago, with some $125 million coming from the Australian Government.
The plant in Kwinana cost $400 million to construct, coming from Rio Tinto (60%) and its joint venture partners, Nucor (25%), Mitsubishi (10%) and Shougang (5%).
