2nd February 2022

Pilot dry reforming plant commissioned in Dillingen in success for Paul Wurth

Launching the production of syngas, Paul Wurth has put into commission a pilot coke oven gas dry reforming plant in Dillingen at ROGESA Roheisengesellschaft Saar mbH, a subsidiary of Dillinger and Saarstahl. The start-up of the plant means Paul Wurth can test its new reforming process using real industrial gases.

The pilot plant was started on 2 December 2021 and is a milestone in the development of dry reforming technology.

“The aim of this development is to maximise the reutilisation of steelmaking process gases, namely blast furnace and coke oven gas in the steel production process. The end goal is to lessen the use of coking coal”, said Georges Rassel, CEO of Paul Wurth and of SMS group Europe.

This technology forms a key component of Dillinger’s and Saarstahl’s H2SYNgas project. H2SYNgas is a development project by Dillinger based on Paul Wurth technology which focuses on syngas production and injection into the blast furnace. Syngas is a combination of hydrogen and carbon monoxide which acts as reducing agent to transform the iron ores charged into the furnace.

In parallel, the H2Syngas is part of a project that expects to connect the steel plant to a regional hydrogen network, which will enable the use of green hydrogen in the production process, further boosting decarbonisation potential.

Paul Wurth is an SMS group company. Both entities have over 150 years of steelmaking experience each, with Paul Wurth the world leader in ironmaking technologies.

Paul Wurth is one of the most important partners of Dillinger and Saarstahl on their decarbonisation mission. Our expertise will continue to support this important client in their transformation efforts. As part of this transition, this technology is being used to produce syngas using a completely new high temperature, catalyst-free reforming process.

“This pilot plant and accompanying projects is a strategic undertaking for us”, said Thomas Hansmann, CTO of Paul Wurth and Head of Metallurgy at SMS group. “The steel industry as a whole has a social and environmental responsibility to reduce its emissions footprint – and the most effective way to do this is to upgrade existing assets so that they can continue to produce steel in a clean, environmentally-considerate manner”.