Iron ore and scrap as raw materials are forming the base of iron and steel production. Due to the transition from carbon-based iron and steel production to green steel production with H2, most current production units such as sinter plan, blast furnace and basic oxygen furnace will be replaced by the direct reduction process (DR process) followed by the electric arc furnace (EAF). As a result, the current recycling routes for mill scale will be cut off and the demand for high quality direct reduction pellets and high-quality scrap will rise. New by-products from the gas treatment of the DR process and iron pellets sieving will emerge. Because of this, technologies for an upgrade and use of low-quality iron ores and scrap are necessary to avoid lack of raw materials. Furthermore, the importance of the internal reuse of iron containing residues increases, especially in the EU scope aiming to 100% circular economy. As result, TransZeroWaste addresses to the following key objectives 1.) Upgrading low-grade iron ore by combining it with iron-rich by-products; 2.) Development of innovative techniques to produce high quality pre-material for decarbonised future production routes; 3.) Separation of disturbing components from byproducts to replace scrap; 4.) Development of the technological basis and digital tools supporting the transition towards zero waste in the European steel industry. Related key technologies are cold pelletisation and briquetting of low-quality iron ores for direct use in existing and future steel works, hot pelletisation e.g. with microwaves for upgrade of low-quality iron ores to increase the iron grade and technologies for the valorisation of low-quality materials or scrap by removal or impurities as hydrometallurgical treatment. While the hot pelletisation with microwaves is a comparable new, the cold pelletisation and briquetting as hydrometallurgical treatment are known, but not applied for the addressed materials and the future requirements for an internal material reuse. A first estimation shows, that the mass flows scale and fine fraction from pellet sieving of app. 9 Mt/a, treated by TransZeroWaste technologies, can be used to upgrade low quality iron ore with a volume of app. 18 Mt/a for a further use in the DR-EAF process route. The requirements for a reuse of e.g. oily materials in the DR process are not or only limited known as well as the compositions. Technologies for the reuse of low-quality iron ores and for the preparation of still or new occurring iron containing materials are needed, to ensure the sufficient supply of raw materials in iron and steel production, even in the case of increasing demands.
