Decarbonization of Blast Furnace Gases Using a Packed Bed of Ca-Cu Solids in a New TRL7 Pilot

Jose Ramon Fernandez (), Monica Alonso, Alberto Mendez, Miriam Diaz, Roberto Garcia, Marcos Cano, Irene Alzueta and Juan Carlos Abanades
Additional contact information
Jose Ramon Fernandez: CSIC-INCAR, Francisco Pintado Fe, 26, 33011 Oviedo, Spain
Monica Alonso: CSIC-INCAR, Francisco Pintado Fe, 26, 33011 Oviedo, Spain
Alberto Mendez: CSIC-INCAR, Francisco Pintado Fe, 26, 33011 Oviedo, Spain
Miriam Diaz: CSIC-INCAR, Francisco Pintado Fe, 26, 33011 Oviedo, Spain
Roberto Garcia: CSIC-INCAR, Francisco Pintado Fe, 26, 33011 Oviedo, Spain
Marcos Cano: Arcelor Mittal R&D Centre, Marqués de Suances S/N, 33400 Avilés, Spain
Irene Alzueta: Arcelor Mittal R&D Centre, Marqués de Suances S/N, 33400 Avilés, Spain
Juan Carlos Abanades: CSIC-INCAR, Francisco Pintado Fe, 26, 33011 Oviedo, Spain

Energies, 2025, vol. 18, issue 3, 1-18

Abstract: This work outlines the commissioning and initial experiments from a new pilot plant at Arcelor Mittal Gas Lab (Asturias, Spain) designed to decarbonize up to 300 Nm 3 /h of blast furnace gas (BFG). This investigation intends to demonstrate for the first time at TRL7 the calcium-assisted steel-mill off-gas hydrogen (CASOH) process to decarbonize blast furnace gases. The CASOH process is carried out in packed-bed reactors operating through three main reaction stages: (1) H 2 production via the water–gas shift (WGS) of the CO present in the BFG assisted by the simultaneous carbonation of CaO; (2) oxidation of the Cu-based catalyst with air, and (3) reduction of CuO with a fuel gas to regenerate CaO and produce a concentrated CO 2 stream. The first experimental campaign used 200 kg of commercial Ca- and Cu-based solids mixed to create a 1 m reactive bed, which is sufficient to validate operations and confirm the process’s effectiveness. A product gas with 40% of H 2 is obtained with CO 2 capture efficiency above 95%. Demonstrating at TRL7 the ability to convert BFG into H2-enriched gas with minimal CO/CO 2 enables remarkable decarbonization in steel production while utilizing existing blast furnaces, eliminating the need for less commercially developed production processes.

Keywords: CO 2 capture; calcium looping; chemical looping; BFG decarbonization; CASOH (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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