20th May 2021

HKM relies on Paul Wurth engineering for feasibility study on Ecoloop Syngas plant

Luxembourg, 20 May 2021. With the aim to improve the CO₂ balance of their steel plant operations located at Duisburg-Huckingen in the Ruhr region in Germany, Hüttenwerke Krupp Mannesmann GmbH (HKM) has chosen Paul Wurth S.A., a company of SMS group, for concept engineering and budget calculation services for a syngas generation and injection plant at their blast furnaces “A” and “B”. The utilisation of syngas (a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen) in the blast furnace allows decreasing the portion of fossil reductants and thus reducing CO₂ emissions in the hot metal production process.

HKM intends to generate 13.000 Nm³/h of syngas out of solid recovered fuels (SRF). For this purpose, around 45.000 tons per year of recycled high calorific plastic materials and waste wood chips have to be processed and delivered to HKM in Duisburg.

On site, the generation of syngas will rely on the Ecoloop technology, developed by the German company of the same name. Ecoloop BBV-reformers (biobasierte Vergasung / bio-based gasification) will be assembled in a battery arrangement. The reformers are gasifiers with wood and lime as reaction moving bed. Thanks to this technology and the use of recycled raw materials, the plant will be a global novelty for syngas generation.

The entire syngas generation plant, for which Paul Wurth provides engineering services, mainly consists of the receiving and storage station for the solid recovered raw material; the subsequent transport, mixing and dosing devices up to the syngas reformer battery; about 100 integrated syngas reformers; syngas cooling, compression and transport to the new coke oven gas compressor station; dust-free transport of ashes; related EIC system; and civil works.

In parallel to the ongoing feasibility studies, Ecoloop is running tests in their pilot plant in Lauingen/Germany, aimed at further optimising the syngas quality. HKM’s objective is to start operating the new syngas generation plant in 2023. For Paul Wurth, the present project is an important step with regard to the market recognition of the company’s readily available technologies for CO₂ emission reduction from blast furnace operations, leading the way towards a carbon-neutral industrial renewal.