A major step towards carbon neutral production of ferrochrome

The ferrochrome alloy is an important component in the production of stainless steel and specialty steels, not least for components essential to the green energy transition, such as wind turbines. The goal of making the production of the alloy carbon-neutral has been clearly stated, but it is a challenge since hydrogen does not work in the process.

"Biochar as a reducing agent is the technology that we currently believe could most quickly reduce the carbon footprint of our FeCr production", says Annelie Papadopoulos, Head of Process Metallurgy and Sustainability at Vargön Alloys AB, one of Europe’s largest producers of ferrochrome.

For two years, a research project has been carried out, led by Elsayed Mousa at the research institute Swerim. The project is now in its final stage, and the project leader is satisfied with the results.

"We have been able to replace approximately 20 percent of the fossil coke with biochar in our trials", notes Elsayed Mousa. He also praises the collaboration between the project partners: Vargön Alloys AB and Envigas, a producer of biochar. The research project, which has been running for two years, has been funded by the Swedish Energy Agency. Annelie Papadopoulos is also pleased:

These trials are, of course, an important step in our roadmap to become carbon-neutral by 2045."

After laboratory tests and pilot-scale trials at Swerim, the work was significantly scaled up through the use of 350 tonnes of biochar briquettes as a reducing agent in one of the alloy furnaces at Vargön Alloys AB. Considering the large scale and the successful results, project leader Elsayed Mousa is optimistic about the possibility of quickly implementing the method in industry and, in the long term, increasing the share of biochar in production beyond the 20 percent achieved in the trials.

"In the long term, there is potential to completely replace fossil reducing agents with biochar in the production of FeCr."

However, Annelie Papadopoulos points out that there is still a hurdle to overcome:

"One challenge is the availability of biochar at reasonable prices. Today, there is no full-scale production facility for biochar, but we are in contact with several stakeholders who are in the scaling-up phase, and it looks promising. Within a few years, we will likely have a continuous addition of biochar in our industrial production."