Tag Archives: CCUS

BHP and China’s HBIS Group Co Ltd expand partnership to CCUS tech trial

BHP has signed an agreement for piloting of carbon capture and utilisation technology with China’s HBIS Group Co Ltd (HBIS), one of the world’s largest steelmakers and a major iron ore customer of BHP.

As part of this new project, HBIS and BHP will trial pilot-scale demonstrations of carbon capture and utilisation technologies at HBIS’ steel operations in China. The trial will develop and test technologies that can be integrated into steel production processes to reduce the CO2 emissions. These include Vacuum Pressure Swing Adsorption, VPSA, an alternative technology to capture the CO2, and two utilisation technologies (slag mineralisation and biological conversion to protein) to sequester the CO2.

In addition, BHP will support HBIS in developing and deploying absorptive desulphurisation at HBIS ZXHT Hydrogen Metallurgy Demonstration Project in Xuanhua, Hebei, intended to enable the utilisation of circa-60,000 t/y of captured CO2 from the direct reduced iron (DRI) process in the food or industrial sectors.

BHP’s Chief Commercial Officer, Vandita Pant, said: “Our multi-faceted partnership with HBIS will now include pilot testing of novel carbon capture technology at their operating sites in Hebei, and builds on the separate carbon capture trial with ArcelorMittal, Mitsubishi Heavy Industry and Mitsubishi Development, announced in October 2022. Hebei province accounts for around 20% of China’s reported steel production and represents one of the locations in which we aim to support future carbon capture, utilisation and storage initiatives. With our support, HBIS will also be pilot testing options for the utilisation of captured carbon dioxide for the production of saleable products and sequestration in waste slag.”

This new agreement expands on the work streams envisaged in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by BHP and HBIS in 2021, together with the Phase 1 research and development work announced in 2022 with HBIS and University of Science and Technology Beijing. In separate work under the MoU, BHP has also supported HBIS in Enhanced Lump trials, aimed at developing processes for improving direct feed iron ore lump use to achieve incremental reductions in carbon dioxide emissions intensity of steel production, at one of the steelmaker’s plants in Hebei province.

BHP’s latest collaboration agreement with HBIS will tap into the investment of up to $15 million over three years proposed by BHP and HBIS in the MoU signed in 2021.

HBIS Chairman, Yu Yong, said: “BHP is a globally renowned resource company and a long-term partner with HBIS with shared goals in relation to the development of technologies to abate carbon emissions in the steel-making sector. The signing of these projects is another milestone since the two parties’ ‘Memorandum of Understanding for Strategic Collaboration in Climate Change’ signed in 2021, it starts a new journey in jointly exploring CCUS technology developments in the steel sector.”

Chairman Yu also stated: “HBIS is committed to being a leader, explorer, and practitioner in the industry’s transition to lower carbon emissions. CCUS has been identified as a breakthrough technology for reducing carbon emissions from steel and this has anchored CCUS technology as a key component in HBIS Group’s low-carbon technology roadmap. In the future, HBIS will continue to focus on the goal of jointly addressing climate change, deepening cooperation with industry value chain partners, adhering to the concept of sustainable development, and consistently cultivating and investing in the green and low-carbon field.”

Teck to trial carbon capture utilisation and storage tech at Trail Operations

Teck Resources has announced a Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) pilot project at its Trail Operations metallurgical complex in southern British Columbia, Canada, in support of its Net-Zero Climate Change Strategy.

The CCUS pilot is expected to begin operation in the second half of 2023 and is expected to contribute to the company’s aim of reducing the carbon intensity of its operations by 33% by 2030 and achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

“This carbon capture pilot is an important step towards our knowledge building for the application of carbon capture, utilisation and storage as an emissions reduction solution, as we work to evaluate pathways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions across our operations and achieve our net-zero goal,” Don Lindsay, President and CEO, said. “The pilot also provides us with a technical platform to assist our steelmaking coal customers in materially reducing the carbon intensity of their steel production.”

The pilot plant will capture carbon dioxide (CO2) from the acid plant flue gas at Trail Operations at a rate of 3 t/d. The pilot project will also evaluate options for the utilisation and/or storage of the captured CO2 at Trail Operations, Teck says.

If successful, the project could be scaled up to an industrial CCUS plant with the potential to capture over 100,000 t/y of CO2 at Trail Operations, the equivalent emissions of more than 20,000 cars.

Teck acknowledged the support of the CleanBC Industry Fund for its funding contribution towards the CCUS Pilot Plant Feasibility Study, which was an important step in advancing the pilot. The CleanBC Industry Fund highlights the alignment between industry and government in achieving Canada’s goal of net-zero emissions by 2050, it said.

BHP and POSCO to collaborate on low-carbon steelmaking technologies

BHP and South Korea’s POSCO have announced a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to jointly explore greenhouse gas emissions reduction technologies in integrated steelmaking.

As part of the MoU, the parties intend to undertake pilot and plant trials to lower carbon in the steelmaking process, including optimising coke quality and assessing carbon capture storage and utilisation (CCUS) options to lower carbon intensity in the blast furnace.

POSCO and BHP also intend to share research on hydrogen-based direct reduction technology, the use of biomass in steelmaking, as well as the potential to leverage BHP’s carbon offsetting capabilities in the development of carbon neutral steel products.

BHP intends to invest up to $10 million over the next five years under the MoU, with the opportunity to increase investment in technologies under the trial. BHP’s investment will be drawn from its $400 million Climate Investment Program, announced in 2019 to support projects, partnerships, research and development to help reduce Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions.

BHP and POSCO also intend to collaborate on the reporting of carbon emissions through the steel value chain to further progress consistent, transparent and robust global standards.

BHP Chief Commercial Officer, Vandita Pant, said: “The pathway to net zero for steelmaking is not yet clear but we believe that, by working with industry leaders like POSCO, together we will find solutions more quickly to help reduce carbon emissions in steelmaking and along the value chain. BHP recently announced a goal to pursue net zero Scope 3 emissions by 2050 and we are committed to working with industry leaders in steelmaking to address this hard-to-abate sector.

“Steel is a critical product for the world to grow and decarbonise, and we must work hard together to enable greener steel, reducing carbon intensity in the blast furnace and testing new technologies for steel production.”

POSCO’s Head of Steel Business Unit, Hag-Dong Kim, said: “Though achieving carbon neutrality is a difficult path ahead, with POSCO working together with BHP’s outstanding mining expertise and the will to achieve a low-carbon future, I have every reason to believe that we can create a significant turning point in carbon emission reduction across our value chain.”

The MoU with POSCO follows BHP’s earlier partnerships established with major steelmakers China Baowu, JFE Steel and HBIS Group to explore emissions reduction from steelmaking. The combined output of the four steel companies equates to around 12% of reported global steel production.