ArcelorMittal has successfully inaugurated its flagship carbon capture and utilization project at its steel plant in Ghent in Belgium on 8 December 2022 as a part of multi-technology strategy to reduce carbon emissions at Ghent plant. The EUR 200 million ‘Steelanol’ project is a first of its kind for the European steel industry. Utilizing cutting edge carbon recycling technology developed by our project partner LanzaTech, the CCU plant uses biocatalysts to transform carbon-rich waste gases from the steelmaking process and from waste biomass into advanced ethanol, which can then be used as a building block to produce a variety of chemical products including transport fuels, paints, plastics, clothing and even cosmetic perfume, hence helping to support the decarbonization efforts of the chemical sector.

Once production reaches full capacity the Steelanol plant will produce 80 million liters of advanced ethanol, almost half of the total current advanced ethanol demand for fuel mixing in Belgium. It will reduce annual carbon emissions from the Ghent plant by 125,000 tonnes. Other partners involved in the Steelanol project are Primetals Technologies and E4tech.

The advanced ethanol will be jointly marketed by ArcelorMittal and LanzaTech under the Carbalyst brand name.

ArcelorMittal Ghent will soon inaugurate another first for the European steel industry, with its ‘Torero’ project set to come on stream in the first quarter of 2023. The EUR 35 million Torero project is designed to process sustainable biomass, initially in the form of waste wood that cannot be used in other applications, for use as a raw material input into the blast furnace, hence lowering the volume of fossil coal used. This project will reduce annual carbon emissions in Ghent by 112,500 tonnes. ArcelorMittal Ghent intends to add a second reactor to its Torero project over the next two years, hence doubling the size of the project.

LanzaTech is the global leader in gas fermentation technology. The company provides novel and economic routes to ethanol, jet fuel and high-value chemicals from gas streams.

Primetals Technologies, Limited, headquartered in London, United Kingdom, is a pioneer and world leader in the fields of engineering, plant building, and the provision of lifecycle services for the metals industry.

E4tech is an international strategic consultancy focused on sustainable energy. Since 1997 they have worked with companies, governments, and investors to help them understand the global opportunities and challenges of clean energy.

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