The first phase of ZHYRON consisted of the definition of the technical KPIs by all the partners coordinated by AMIII. It included the desired characteristics for (1) the cold-agglomerates which will be produced from steelmaking by-products, (2) the DRI which will be produced from these cold-agglomerates by using a hydrogen and electricity-based pyrometallurgical treatment, (3) the zinc rich concentrate which will be produced through this treatment and (4) for the characteristics that must fulfil the wastewater produced during the process to be recycled back or to be safely disposed to the environment. Additionally, a structured methodology was established by CIRCE to identify and prioritize Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for monitoring the environmental and economic performance. This phase also considered the sampling and physico-chemical characterization of six different steelmaking dusts and sludges sampled inside ArcelorMittal facilities to further understand which wastes and by-products were the most suitable for the recovery of metallic iron and metal fractions.
In the second phase, two technologies were assessed for the production of cold bonded agglomerates: (1) high-pressure stiff vacuum extrusion by AMIII and (2) roll-press briquetting by CRM. After that initial screening, the most promising recipe(s) were selected to be tested at a bigger scale producing batches of 25-40 kg. The first round of reduction has been carried out by GI. The materials include extrudates of BOF dust, mill scales, and pellet fines. Furthermore, a multiphysics model for hydrogen thermal reduction has been already developed by CIRCE. To conclude, the first process (condensate) water samples from the pilot plant of GI (with 10 kg batch treatment capacity), were generated and analysed by HM and BFI. The volume was around 1.3 L of process water per batch. HM is performing trials at laboratory scale for the recovery of Zn, whereas BFI has commissioned a membrane distillation plant for H2 production
