HYBRIT: Six years of research paves way for industrial-scale fossil-free iron and steel production
The HYBRIT initiative has presented six years of research results in a final report to the Swedish Energy Agency. The report shows that direct reduced iron produced with the HYBRIT process has superior characteristics compared to iron produced with fossil fuels.
HYBRIT has applied for and received several patents based on these successful results. The project is now moving into the next phase, where the process will be implemented on an industrial scale.
The HYBRIT initiative is a collaboration between the steel company SSAB, the mining company LKAB, and the energy company Vattenfall, launched to fundamentally transform the iron and steel industry. The initiative aims to virtually eliminate carbon dioxide emissions in the steel industry by replacing coal and coke in the production of iron with fossil-free hydrogen and electricity. The transition from coal and blast furnace-based steelmaking to HYBRIT technology, along with the melting of iron in electric arc furnaces, is expected to reduce Sweden’s total carbon dioxide emissions by more than 10%.
The project is the first in the world to demonstrate that a fossil-free value chain – from iron ore to steel – can work on a semi-industrial scale. To date, more than 5,000 tonnes of hydrogen-reduced iron have been produced at HYBRIT’s pilot plant in Luleå. Customers such as Volvo Group, Epiroc, Peab, and others are already using fossil-free steel in vehicles, heavy machinery, buildings, and consumer products, with strong interest in the technology continuing to grow.
Martin Pei, Chief Technology Officer at SSAB and Chairman of the Board of Hybrit Development AB, commented: “I am incredibly proud of everything HYBRIT has achieved since its launch in 2016. Thanks to the successful results of the pilot project, we are well on our way to fundamentally changing the iron and steel industry. At SSAB, we are now investing heavily to convert the entire Nordic production system to fossil-free steel production and have already started delivering fossil-free steel to customers on a smaller scale.”
Results from six years of research prove HYBRIT’s fossil-free process
The research results, now presented in a final report to the Swedish Energy Agency, cover the period from 2018 to 2024. They focus on scaling up technical solutions from the laboratory to industrial scale, developing an industrial process practice and achieving an integrated value chain for hydrogen-based iron and steelmaking.
Key results from the pilot phase include the development of a new hydrogen-based technology for efficient, fossil-free iron and steel production with 0.0 tonnes of CO₂ emissions per tonne of steel. Additionally, a new fossil-free iron product (sponge iron) was developed, boasting significantly better properties than iron reduced with fossil gases like natural gas. The project also achieved the successful long-term operation of alkaline electrolysers for hydrogen production and storage, and the development of an efficient process for melting fossil-free sponge iron into crude steel in an electric arc furnace.
“The focus of HYBRIT’s technical development has been to build up expertise and create technical conditions for the implementation of a fossil-free process in a full-scale production,” said Ulf Spolander, General Manager of Hybrit Development AB. “We are very pleased that we as a team have been able to deliver successful results that have met or exceeded the set project goals. The knowledge and experience we have developed during the project will now be focused on continuing the process development, primarily to support the owners´ industrialisation projects.”
The HYBRIT project moves into the next phase
The results from the pilot phase pave the way for implementing the HYBRIT process on an industrial scale. Hybrit Development AB will continue research and development to support the industrialisation of the technology together with the owner companies, including delivering solutions to LKAB’s planned demonstration plant in Gällivare. The pilot project for storing fossil-free hydrogen in Svartöberget in Luleå, will continue until 2026.
“It has been a groundbreaking journey in a short period of time,” said Jenny Greberg, Vice President Technology at LKAB and board member of Hybrit Development AB. “The results from the pilot phase show that the process works and that we are ready for the next stage, where the demonstration plant that LKAB plans to build in Gällivare will be the first step towards industrial production of sponge iron. Our high-quality iron ore combined with good access to fossil-free energy provides unique conditions for establishing a competitive value chain for future fossil-free iron and steel production.”
The HYBRIT project has received funding from the EU Innovation Fund and Industriklivet. It is also part of the European IPCEI project Hy2Use (Hydrogen), which involves a total of 35 projects from 12 countries to support rapid transition and increase the competitiveness of the European industrial sector.
Source: Hydrogentechworld