Abstract
The iron and steel industry is rapidly embracing green steel production technologies as a strategic imperative to maintain a sustainable steel industry. One of the most promising paths to reduce steel industry greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions involves the production of direct reduced metallic iron from high quality oxide pellets. Since the iron ore pelletizing process itself is fossil fuel-intensive and has high NOx emissions related to fossil fuel combustion, a true green steel production value chain necessarily involves the production of green iron ore pellets.
This paper reviews potential pellet plant GHG reduction strategies that decrease the fossil fuel footprint of iron ore pellet production. Strategies include the use of biomass, hydrogen heating, electrification, low-NOx burners, end of pipe technologies and the latest developments in cold bonding technology. The GHG reduction potential of each option, logical implementation pathways and the transformative potential to produce green iron ore pellets are discussed.