Your comment -- "The new process uses hydrogen. It doesn't use plasma torches .... in fact it does even use iron ore pellets" i-- s inaccurate. There's also much, much more to it.
To explain with actual source facts:
The hydrogen process is downstream.
While LKAB plans to move to selling sponge iron rather than pellets, the hydrogen process itself is currently downstream from pelletization, so pellets are still required in the process,
The pellets will just be put through one more step (direct reduction) before being sold to end customers (steelmakers) as sponge iron instead of pellets, or as LKAB says, “The carbon-free sponge iron that will in time replace iron ore pellets
as LKAB’s main export product is suitable for arc furnaces…”
Pellets are still the first step and still the feed material.
The LKAB process
starts as pellets as the input, as their system is based on their funding of the Hybrit project, which did the research. This diagram from Hybrit shows how the sponge iron is produced.
https://www.hybritdevelopment.com/steelmaking-process Co2-free pellets are now needed; processes that make that happen include plasma.
As you can see from the above, the pellets that go into the system are Co2-free pellets. Using plasma torches is one of the ways to do that. Another of Hybrit’s mandate projects was to create those Co2-free pellets, testing biofuels to replace diesel, and two additional heating technologies, one of which was stated as plasma.
https://www.hybritdevelopment.com/articles/three-hybrit-pilot-projects LKAB continues to investigate and R&D plasma as a heating source.
LKAB announced on Nov 2 they produced the world’s first fossil-free pellets, using the Hybrit research, and using tall oil (the biofuel) to replace diesel fuel.
They also announced in the same news release they are continuing to investigate other processes. “Concurrently, trials with other carbon-dioxide-free and
fossil-free heating technologies are now under way at LKAB's experimental plant in Lule.”.
https://www.lkab.com/en/news-room/news/lkab-produces-the-worlds-first-iron-ore-pellets-with-fossil-free-fuels/
In previous news articles, that “other” heating technology was announced as
plasma.
https://www.ssab.ca/news/2020/08/hybrit-successful-trials-using-fossilfree-fuels-in-the-pellet-process Since biofuel is further along, it is the first process out of the gate while the others continue to be tested.
https://www.hybritdevelopment.com/articles/three-hybrit-pilot-projects
This is all decades out. LKAB has stated they will continue with pellets.
Most importantly, the new LKAB business approach is to "eventually" switch to selling sponge iron (also known as direct reduced iron). Even if they find a way to bypass pellets as an input (which they haven’t), it will take decades.
The first LKAB sponge iron plant isn’t anticipated to be in operation until 2029. The next 2033, then 2038, 2042, and 2045. Here’s the LKAB presentation from a few days ago that shows these estimated timelines on page 13:
https://www.lkab.com/en/SysSiteAssets/documents/blandat/english-presentation-lkab-press-conference-20201123.pdf The cost and effort and electricity requirements have yet to be figured out in concert with the government.
“LKAB's transformation will require massive investment of around 10 – 20 billion SEK a year during a period of about 15 – 20 years for LKAB alone.”
“During the transformation period LKAB will supply iron ore pellets in parallel with developing carbon-free sponge iron.”
https://www.lkab.com/en/news-room/press-releases/historic-transformation-plan-for-lkab-the-biggest-thing-we-in-sweden-can-do-for-the-climate/?aid=16447 And that’s just LKAB. Other companies aren’t so sure.
Primary blast furnaces that require pellets will continue to dominate for 30 to 40 years.
Even if sponge iron eventually takes over, and even if a pellet-free sponge iron process is eventually developed, sponge iron requires the use of electric arc furnaces.
But as the Financial Times stated when covering the LKAB news, “some analysts and companies such as BHP, the world’s biggest mining company, think blast furnaces will still account for about 50 per cent of steelmaking by 2050”.
“That is because of difficulties accessing cheap renewable energy and the fact that steel producers in India and China have a relatively young fleet of blast furnaces that could run for another 30-40 years before they need replacing. “
“A lack of high quality ore, which is needed to make DRI [sponge iron], is another concern.”
https://app.ft.com/content/0cbc20c6-d781-44da-a77b-cb7679f9820a?sectionid=companies So if high quality ore is required for direct reduced (sponge) iron…
and given that the highly quality iron is getting harder and harder to find as the world runs out…
and given that pelletization is used primarily to turn low quality ore into higher quality ore…
and given that LKAB via the Hybrit process currently plans to use Co2-free
pellets as the feedstock...
and given that LKAB continues to R&D plasma as a heating source...
and given that both the LKAB hydrogen sponge iron process for use in electric arc furnaces, and the traditional steel making process that uses blast furnaces, both prefer
pellets because they offer high quality iron…
and given that LKAB has stated they will continue to sell pellets concurrently until the new systems are in place potentially
decades from now...
and given that India and China and BHP think traditional blast furnace systems will dominate for 30 years...
It seems reasonable that pelletization isn’t going anywhere soon.
politicat wrote:LKAB has us covered ? The new process uses hyrdogen. It doesn't use plasma torches .... in fact it does even use iron ore pellets.