Hebei steelmaker embracing greener future

HBIS Group, a Hebei province-based steel manufacturer, has been closely following the wave of hydrogen energy development, achieving new breakthroughs in accelerating comprehensive green transformation, the group's top executive said.

"Hydrogen energy is hailed as the ultimate energy source in the 21st century, and replacing carbon with hydrogen can fundamentally eliminate the absolute dependence on fossil fuel energy in steel production at the source," said Yu Yong, chairman of HBIS Group.

Yu said HBIS has stepped up the innovation and application of low-carbon metallurgical technology.

On Dec 16, the world's first hydrogen metallurgy continuous casting production line making automotive sheet steel was launched at the group's Zhangxuan High Technology Co Ltd in Zhangjiakou, Hebei.

The production line has an annual output of 1.5 million metric tons, and is mainly used for producing steel for automotive panels and support structures.

The launch of the new line marks a milestone in accelerating green and low-carbon transformation.

Two years ago, the first phase of the world's first 1.2 million-ton hydrogen metallurgy demonstration project was put into operation at Zhangxuan High Technology.

And the country's first new short-process application project for a hydrogen-based shaft furnace — a near-zero carbon emissions electric furnace — was started in March this year, expanding the application of hydrogen metallurgy and extending the industrial chain.

The new automotive sheet production line is only four kilometers from the hydrogen metallurgy production line.

The direct reduced iron produced in the hydrogen-based shaft furnace will be transported and smelted in the near-zero carbon emissions electric furnace together with scrap steel, and after refining and continuous casting, it will be turned into automotive sheet steel.

"From DRI and special materials to automotive sheet steel billets, the hydrogen metallurgy chain has continued to grow," Lyu Yanwei, deputy general manager of a special steel branch under Zhangxuan High Technology, was quoted as saying by Hebei Daily.

Lyu is bullish on market prospects for the green automotive sheet steel billets.

In the context of achieving China's dual carbon objectives, the group conducted research in advance, discovering that downstream sectors in steelmaking are paying increasing attention to carbon emissions of steel products.

The country aims to peak carbon emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060.

To achieve these objectives, the steel industry has to reduce carbon emissions, given the sector's massive scale.

Global crude steel production in 2023 reached around 1.89 billion tons, with China's crude steel production reaching 1.02 billion tons, accounting for over half of the global total, according to a report by People's Daily overseas edition in August, quoting the World Steel Association.

In terms of industry sectors, carbon emissions from steelmaking account for around 15 percent of China's total carbon emissions, making it the top emitter among 31 sectors within manufacturing, the report said.

To jointly build a green and low-carbon supply chain, HBIS has signed cooperation agreements with major automakers, including BMW and Hebei-based Great Wall Motor Co Ltd.

"Green steel will not be difficult to sell," Lyu said, adding that HBIS is vigorously promoting a series of green processes such as hydrogen metallurgy electric furnaces, with plans to have a production capacity of 7.41 million tons of low-carbon emission products by 2026.

zhangyu1@chinadaily.com.cn