Lighthouse initiative

ArcelorMittal is building Steelanol, an industrial-scale demonstration plant in Gent, Belgium, to capture waste gases from the blast furnace and biologically convert them into recycled-carbon ethanol, which can be blended to make a liquid fuel. Once complete – the project is due to be completed in 2022 – the plant is expected to produce up to 80 million litres of recycled-carbon ethanol a year.

The Steelanol technology was developed by LanzaTech, with whom ArcelorMittal has entered a long-term partnership, together with Primetals and E4tech.

Alongside this project, the company is building Torero, a large-scale demonstration plant to convert waste wood into bio-coal, partially replacing the coal currently injected into the blast furnace.

Together, these projects will save 350,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions in the first phase.