Periodic Reporting for period 1 - HARARE (Hydrogen As the Reducing Agent in the REcovery of metals and minerals from metallurgical waste)
Reporting period: 2021-06-01 to 2022-11-30
The HARARE project is a consortium aiming to demonstrate sustainable methods for producing non-ferrous metals by using hydrogen to remove waste and valorise materials in carbon-free processes. The metallurgical sector is vital to a sustainable future as vast amounts of metals, such as steel, aluminum, and copper are required for solar panels, wind turbines, electrification of transport and upgrading of the electricity grid. However, the metallurgical industry is also one of the largest CO2 emitting sectors, and Europe imports a significant amount of metal produced with carbon-based processes.
To tackle these challenges, HARARE aims to make the metallurgical industry more sustainable by implementing a circular concept based on two strategies. The first strategy involves recovering waste materials such as flash smelter slag from primary copper production and bauxite residue from aluminum production, which are typically disposed of as waste, creating environmental issues. By using hydrogen instead of carbon as a reductant, the industry can become free of CO2-emissions and decrease its dependence on hard coal imports.
HARARE's initiative is important for creating a less carbon-dependent metallurgical industry necessary for a sustainable future. The use of hydrogen-based processes offers a promising avenue for decarbonizing the sector, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and increasing energy efficiency, thereby contributing to sustainable development goals. Additionally, HARARE's approach can have a significant impact on the economy, as the metallurgical sector is a significant contributor to Europe's economy, with over 300,000 people employed in the EU alone. By reducing energy costs and becoming more sustainable, the sector can increase its competitiveness in the face of intense competition from low-cost producers outside Europe.
To tackle these challenges, HARARE aims to make the metallurgical industry more sustainable by implementing a circular concept based on two strategies. The first strategy involves recovering waste materials such as flash smelter slag from primary copper production and bauxite residue from aluminum production, which are typically disposed of as waste, creating environmental issues. By using hydrogen instead of carbon as a reductant, the industry can become free of CO2-emissions and decrease its dependence on hard coal imports.
HARARE's initiative is important for creating a less carbon-dependent metallurgical industry necessary for a sustainable future. The use of hydrogen-based processes offers a promising avenue for decarbonizing the sector, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and increasing energy efficiency, thereby contributing to sustainable development goals. Additionally, HARARE's approach can have a significant impact on the economy, as the metallurgical sector is a significant contributor to Europe's economy, with over 300,000 people employed in the EU alone. By reducing energy costs and becoming more sustainable, the sector can increase its competitiveness in the face of intense competition from low-cost producers outside Europe.
The project has achieved notable progress in achieving its goals, with multiple tasks and experiments either completed or in progress. Specifically, the project team has successfully identified and mapped resources of copper slag and bauxite residue, with timely delivery of the expected deliverables scheduled for M24. This achievement is a significant step towards creating sustainable and efficient processes for recovering valuable materials from these waste streams.
Along with the resource mapping, laboratory-scale experiments have been conducted to recover copper and alumina using different methods. The results of these experiments have been encouraging, indicating the potential for commercial viability. However, extracting small magnetite and iron phases from the reduced bauxite residue materials has posed a challenge, requiring further investigation and experimentation to overcome.
Unfortunately, progress in piloting and demonstrating the processes has been hindered by equipment and material delays, resulting in slower progress than anticipated. Despite this setback, the project team is now fully dedicated to accelerating these activities to meet project deadlines. The successful implementation of these processes could significantly benefit the environment by reducing waste and enabling the recovery of valuable materials.
The project also places emphasis on the recovery of both metallic and non-metallic products, with ongoing efforts in this area. However, some tasks have been delayed due to limited availability of materials from other work packages. The project team is addressing this issue to ensure that necessary materials are available in a timely manner to support these tasks.
In addition to product recovery, the project team has been exploring the development of binders from process by-products. Initial work has shown that some by-products hold promise as supplementary cementitious materials that could enhance the strength and durability of concrete structures. This represents an exciting opportunity for potential commercialization of the project's outputs.
Lastly, the project team has made significant contributions to the academic community by publishing two journal papers and presenting their work at nine conferences. More publications are being prepared, highlighting the project's potential impact and value.
Along with the resource mapping, laboratory-scale experiments have been conducted to recover copper and alumina using different methods. The results of these experiments have been encouraging, indicating the potential for commercial viability. However, extracting small magnetite and iron phases from the reduced bauxite residue materials has posed a challenge, requiring further investigation and experimentation to overcome.
Unfortunately, progress in piloting and demonstrating the processes has been hindered by equipment and material delays, resulting in slower progress than anticipated. Despite this setback, the project team is now fully dedicated to accelerating these activities to meet project deadlines. The successful implementation of these processes could significantly benefit the environment by reducing waste and enabling the recovery of valuable materials.
The project also places emphasis on the recovery of both metallic and non-metallic products, with ongoing efforts in this area. However, some tasks have been delayed due to limited availability of materials from other work packages. The project team is addressing this issue to ensure that necessary materials are available in a timely manner to support these tasks.
In addition to product recovery, the project team has been exploring the development of binders from process by-products. Initial work has shown that some by-products hold promise as supplementary cementitious materials that could enhance the strength and durability of concrete structures. This represents an exciting opportunity for potential commercialization of the project's outputs.
Lastly, the project team has made significant contributions to the academic community by publishing two journal papers and presenting their work at nine conferences. More publications are being prepared, highlighting the project's potential impact and value.
It is expected that the project can show in pilot scale that the recovery of iron and alumina from bauxite residue using hydrogen is commercially viable. Moreover that copper, cobalt, nickel and molybdenum can be retrieved form copper slag using hydrogen.
HARARE is providing open data to the Raw Materials Information system about the sources of bauxite residue and copper slag and their integration into new processing routes. The data from the project is fed into SREMAT which is the "EU Raw Materials Knowledge Base (EURMKB)", This is in line with the Circular Economy Action Plan and the objectives of the Strategic Implementation Plan of the EIP on Raw Materials.
HARARE is also boosting it's impact through technology transfer, e.g. workshops organised jointly with other related projects (Sisal, Halman, RemovAl, Prema). Such a workshop on hydrogen in the metallurgical industry will be organised in Trondheim on the 15th of February 2023. The project has published 2 journal articles and has been presented at 9 conferences/seminars.
In WP8, the business cases for the technologies are being set-up. This is done in close cooperation with WP7 which sets up the mass and energy balances for the different routes. It is too early in the project to make estimations on the CAPEX and OPEX of the processes.
Mytilineos produces about 750.000 tons of BR each year. While the current BR production in the EU is about 6.8 Mtpa (million tons per year). Processing this BR with the HARARE technology can give up to 2 Mtpa of iron and 1 Mtpa of alumina produced in Europe. 2.2 tonnes of slag is generated as a by-product for every tonne of copper metal produced. The EU production of copper slag is around 4 Mtpa. The Harare method can recover up to 0.9 Mtpa of iron and 48 000 tons of Copper in Europe.
Health and safety: Linde has published an open report (deliverable 6.1) about "Safe use of hydrogen for lab and pilot scale" which can be used by anyone who has an interest in using hydrogen in industrial processes.
Environmental impact: The implementation of the technology will give a reduction in waste generation. WP7 works on the LCA for the different processes. The mass and energy balances for the different routes have now been put together.
HARARE is providing open data to the Raw Materials Information system about the sources of bauxite residue and copper slag and their integration into new processing routes. The data from the project is fed into SREMAT which is the "EU Raw Materials Knowledge Base (EURMKB)", This is in line with the Circular Economy Action Plan and the objectives of the Strategic Implementation Plan of the EIP on Raw Materials.
HARARE is also boosting it's impact through technology transfer, e.g. workshops organised jointly with other related projects (Sisal, Halman, RemovAl, Prema). Such a workshop on hydrogen in the metallurgical industry will be organised in Trondheim on the 15th of February 2023. The project has published 2 journal articles and has been presented at 9 conferences/seminars.
In WP8, the business cases for the technologies are being set-up. This is done in close cooperation with WP7 which sets up the mass and energy balances for the different routes. It is too early in the project to make estimations on the CAPEX and OPEX of the processes.
Mytilineos produces about 750.000 tons of BR each year. While the current BR production in the EU is about 6.8 Mtpa (million tons per year). Processing this BR with the HARARE technology can give up to 2 Mtpa of iron and 1 Mtpa of alumina produced in Europe. 2.2 tonnes of slag is generated as a by-product for every tonne of copper metal produced. The EU production of copper slag is around 4 Mtpa. The Harare method can recover up to 0.9 Mtpa of iron and 48 000 tons of Copper in Europe.
Health and safety: Linde has published an open report (deliverable 6.1) about "Safe use of hydrogen for lab and pilot scale" which can be used by anyone who has an interest in using hydrogen in industrial processes.
Environmental impact: The implementation of the technology will give a reduction in waste generation. WP7 works on the LCA for the different processes. The mass and energy balances for the different routes have now been put together.