The production and application of hydrogen in steel industry

• Published in: International journal of hydrogen energy Vol. 46; no. 17; pp. 10548 - 10569
• Main Authors: Liu, Wenguo, Zuo, Haibin, Wang, Jingsong, Xue, Qingguo, Ren, Binglang, Yang, Fan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 08.03.2021
• Subjects: CO2 emissions; Hydrogen metallurgy; Hydrogen production; Steel industry; S–I cycle; BF; HM; Steel industry; WGSR; CDRI; TGR-OBF; HBI; HTAC; HDRI; COG; Hydrogen metallurgy; GE; PSA; AISI; ULCOS; ICA; HYBRIT; POM; SALCOS; CCS; CO2 emissions; COURSE 50; POX; SMR; NG; PEM; DRI; Hydrogen production
• ISSN: 0360-3199; 1879-3487
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijhydene.2020.12.123

Due to the increasingly serious environmental issues and continuous depletion of fossil resources, the steel industry is facing unprecedented pressure to reduce CO2 emissions and achieve the sustainable energy development. Hydrogen is considered as the most promising clean energy in the 21st century due to the diverse sources, high calorific value, good thermal conductivity and high reaction rate, making hydrogen have great potential to apply in the steel industry. In this review, different hydrogen production technologies which have potential to provide hydrogen or hydrogen-rich gas for the great demand of steel plants are described. The applications of hydrogen in the blast furnace (BF) production process, direct reduction iron (DRI) process and smelting reduction iron process are summarized. Furthermore, the functions of hydrogen or hydrogen-rich gas as fuels are also discussed. In addition, some suggestions and outlooks are provided for future development of steel industry in China. •The promising methods of hydrogen production for steel industry are expounded.•The applications of hydrogen as the reducing agent in steel industry are summarized.•The potential applications of hydrogen as fuel for steel plants are discussed.