The production of steel is typically very energy and carbon intensive; in 2019 it was responsible for 2.7 per cent of all UK emissions.
Rio Tinto has developed a new process that combines sustainable biomass with microwave technology to convert iron ore to metallic iron during the steelmaking process.
The process is currently undergoing further testing in a small-scale pilot plant, with the potential to be scaled up commercially to process Rio Tinto’s iron ore fines if successful.
“We are encouraged by early testing results of this new process, which could provide a cost-efficient way to produce low-carbon steel from our Pilbara iron ore,” Rio Tinto’s iron ore chief executive Simon Trott said.
“More than 70 per cent of Rio Tinto’s Scope 3 emissions are generated as customers process our iron ore into steel, which is critical for urbanisation and infrastructure development as the world’s economies decarbonise. So, while it’s still early days and there...