ArcelorMittal inaugurates Steelanol CCU project in North Sea Port
On Thursday 8 December, ArcelorMittal Ghent inaugurated its new plant for trapping and using carbon from CO2. This €200 million installation is the first of its kind in the European steel industry and one of the projects aimed at reducing CO2 emissions in the Ghent plant and in North Sea Port, according to the company's release.
The Steelanol project is an important first for the European steel industry. It involves a €200 million plant that will trap and utilise the carbon in CO2, a process also known as ‘carbon capture and utilisation’ or CCU. The plant will make use of carbon recycling technology and biocatalysts to transform carbon-rich waste gases from the steelmaking process and from waste biomass into ethanol.
This ethanol can then be used as a building block to produce a variety of chemical products including transport fuels, paints, plastics, clothing and even cosmetic perfume. The advanced ethanol will be jointly marketed by ArcelorMittal and LanzaTech under the Carbalyst brand name.
Once production reaches full capacity, the Steelanol installation will produce 80 million litres of advanced ethanol – almost half of the total current advanced ethanol demand for fuel mixing in Belgium. This will reduce annual carbon emissions at the Ghent plant by 125,000 tonnes.
The Steelanol project is entirely in keeping with North Sea Port's ambition to reduce its CO2 emissions by half by 2030 and to be a climate-neutral port by 2050. The conversion of gas from blast furnaces into bio-ethanol – turning waste into a raw material – is also an example of the circular economy which the port intends to work toward in the coming years.
ArcelorMittal's accessibility to large seagoing vessels is crucial to those efforts. During the festive opening ceremony, Minister-President of Flanders Jan Jambon and Flemish Minister of Mobility and Public Works Lydia Peeters confirmed that the new lock in Terneuzen will be completed in 2023 and that Capesize ships will be able to reach ArcelorMittal.
ArcelorMittal is the world's largest steel company, with a presence in 60 countries and primary steel production locations in 16 countries. In 2021, ArcelorMittal generated 76.6 billion dollars in revenue and produced 69.1 million tons of raw steel. Along with 50.9 million tons of iron ore.
The Steelanol project and other projects being undertaken in Ghent form an important part of ArcelorMittal’s 2030 climate action roadmap.
