Green H2 and circular bio-coal from biowaste for cost-competitive sustainable Steel (H2STEEL)

欧盟委员会确立的净零排放目标的实现是一个巨大的挑战，如果不重新思考传统路线(材料和能源链)，就不可能实现这一目标。H2 STEEL项目提出了一种创新的、颠覆性的解决方案，将湿废物转化为绿色氢、碳和关键原材料。拟议的创新解决方案旨在支持最难减少的工业部门之一：冶金行业的绿色转型。特别是，H2STEEL通过创新的催化热解和化学浸出将生物垃圾和生物甲烷的转化结合在一起，将生物垃圾完全转化为绿色氢气、绿色碳(生物煤)和关键(无机)原材料的回收。生物甲烷热解是在一种全新的临时设计和概念验证的反应器中进行的，床上是由预碳化的生物垃圾制成的生物煤床，即使用非常便宜的全碳基催化剂，非常耐温度和污染物：这将提高甲烷裂解步骤的效率，以产生绿色氢气。由于甲烷裂解产生的新的固体碳在生物煤表面生成，从而降低了催化剂的性能，因此在反应器中插入新的生物煤催化剂，同时去除废煤：由于催化剂的低成本和废催化剂的市场价值，催化剂的连续更新是可行的。这种完全以生物碳为基础的材料，然后用于炼钢，作为冶金(化石)焦的替代品，产生净温室气体减排，符合欧盟ETS(排放交易计划)。因此，废催化剂的再生变得没有必要，因为生物煤被用于下游工艺，避免在大气中释放二氧化碳(就像在SMR工艺或大多数催化剂再生步骤中发生的那样)。

The achievement of the Net-zero emissions target established by the European Commission is huge challenge which could not be achieved without re-thinking the conventional route (materials and energy chains). H2STEEL project proposes an innovative, disruptive solution to convert wet waste streams into green Hydrogen, Carbon and Critical Raw Materials. The proposed innovative solution aims at supporting the green transition of one of the most hard-to-abate industrial sector: metallurgy. In particular, H2STEEL combines the conversion of biowaste and bioCH4 through innovative catalyzed pyrolysis with chemical leaching, to fully convert biowastes into Green Hydrogen, Green Carbon (bio coal), and recovery of Critical (inorganic) Raw Materials. Biomethane pyrolysis is carried out in a brand new, adhoc designed, and proof-of-concept reactor, on a bed of bio coal made from pre-carbonized biowastes, i.e. on a very cheap fully carbon-based catalyst, very resistant to temperature and contaminants: this will enhance the efficiency of the methane cracking step to generate Green Hydrogen. As new solid carbon from methane cracking is generated on the bio coal surface, thus reducing the performance of the catalyst, new bio coal-catalyst is inserted in the reactor, while the spent bio coal is removed: the continuous renewal of the catalyst is feasible thanks to its low cost, and to the market value of the spent catalyst. This material, fully bio-carbon based, is then used in steelmaking as a substitute of metallurgical (fossil) coke, generating a net GHG reduction, EU ETS (Emission Trading Scheme) compliant. The regeneration of the spent catalyst thus becomes unnecessary, as the bio coal is used in a downstream process, avoiding the release of CO2 in atmosphere (as it happens in the SMR process or in most of the catalysts regeneration steps).