Descrizione del progetto
Processi basati sull’idrogeno per un’industria dei metalli verde
Forme rinnovabili di energia richiedono significative quantità di alluminio, acciaio e rame. Il settore metallurgico è quindi emerso come un attore cruciale per un futuro sostenibile, per quanto sia comunque responsabile di notevoli emissioni di CO2. Come riduttore, l’idrogeno può diventare un sostituto del carbonio, trainando il cambiamento verso un’industria più verde. Il progetto HARARE, finanziato dall’UE, dimostrerà modi sostenibili di produrre metalli usando l’idrogeno come strumento chiave. Il progetto propone un concetto circolare basato su un duplice ragionamento: primo, recuperare i rifiuti con l’idrogeno, cioè dai processi di produzione di rame e alluminio; secondo, applicare processi basati sull’idrogeno che contribuiranno a un’industria metallurgica europea ecologica e meno dipendente dalle importazioni.
Obiettivo
HARARE will demonstrate sustainable pathways to produce metals using hydrogen as an enabler, for removing waste and valorising materials in carbon free processes. The consortium’s concern and thus the drive to build this initiative, starts with an industry that is key contributor to a sustainable future: the metallurgical sector. The switch to renewable energies requires vast amounts of metals, such as steel and aluminium for solar panels and wind turbines, and copper for bolstering the electricity grid necessary for transport and industry. However, the metallurgical industry amounted to 70 million tons direct CO2 emitted in 2017. Moreover, carbon-based processes make the European metallurgical industry dependent on imports.
Using hydrogen as a reductant to substitute carbon is one of the few ways metallurgical industry can potentially become truly free of CO2-emissions, utilizing raw materials that can be produced in Europe. HARARE’s vision is to tackle these challenges and become part of the solution, making the metallurgical industry more sustainable by presenting a circular concept that is based on a two-fold reasoning:
1) Recover wastes with hydrogen. choosing two representative wastes from the copper and aluminium production processes, namely: flash smelter slag from primary copper production and Bauxite residue (BR) from aluminium production.
2) Hydrogen-based processes will allow for an environmentally friendly metal industry while decreasing dependence from hard coal imports and being cost competitive.
HARARE will thus eliminate waste from the metallurgical industry while recovering valuable materials, and increasing the use of hydrogen in the industry, thereby increasing its circularity, the utilization of raw materials and the profitability, lessening the negative side-effects on the community, and making steps toward the less carbon-dependent metallurgical industry necessary for a sustainable future.
Campo scientifico
Parole chiave
Programma(i)
Invito a presentare proposte
H2020-LOW-CARBON-CIRCULAR-INDUSTRIES-2020
Vedi altri progetti per questo bandoBando secondario
H2020-LCCI-2020-EASME-twostage
Meccanismo di finanziamento
IA - Innovation actionCoordinatore
7034 Trondheim
Norvegia