MAN0101HIL – Non-hydrogen ironmaking

Description

Estimated Time: 1 hour

Language: English

Summary of the lecture

Join us for an illuminating webinar exploring non-hydrogen ironmaking technologies that can support the decarbonisation of the iron and steel industry.

Professor Geoff Brooks (Swinburne University of Technology) will present a clear overview of emerging and alternative approaches that reduce reliance on fossil carbon and traditional blast furnace routes. The session will cover key technology pathways, including:

Electrolysis, using electrical energy to directly reduce iron ore without fossil fuels
Biomass, leveraging sustainable carbon sources as alternatives to coal and coke
Metallothermic reduction, using metals with higher oxygen affinity than iron to reduce iron oxide into metallic iron

Professor Brooks will also discuss the importance of carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) as a complementary strategy for low-carbon steelmaking. This includes insights from recent industrial trials, such as Steelanol in Belgium.

To connect the technical discussion with real-world industry priorities, Neil Goodman (HILT CRC board member, Director and former CEO at Magnum Mining & Exploration) will provide an industry perspective on opportunities and challenges for implementation.

This webinar is ideal for industry professionals, researchers, and policymakers seeking practical insights into decarbonisation strategies for hard-to-abate sectors. A live Q&A session will follow, offering participants the opportunity to engage directly with one of Australia’s leading experts in metallurgical engineering and sustainable steelmaking.

Learning Outcomes

At the end of this course, participants will be able to:

Explain the main non-hydrogen ironmaking routes and their role in the decarbonisation of the steel industry.
Compare conventional ironmaking processes with emerging low-carbon and alternative reduction technologies.
Describe the principles, advantages, and limitations of electrolytic ironmaking routes, including molten oxide electrolysis.
Assess the potential of biomass, metallothermic reduction, and smelting reduction as alternatives to coal-based processes.
Identify key technical, economic, and scalability challenges associated with emerging ironmaking technologies.
Evaluate the current role and limitations of carbon capture, utilisation, and storage (CCUS) in iron and steel production.
Discuss technology readiness levels (TRLs) and research directions for future low-emission ironmaking pathways.

Speakers Introduction

Professor Geoff Brooks
Swinburne University of Technology

Professor Brooks is a Professor in the School of Engineering. Since completing his PhD in 1994, Professor Brooks has been an Senior Lecturer at the University of Wollongong (1993-2000), an Associate Professor at McMaster University (2000-2004), a Senior Princpal Research Scientist at CSIRO (2004-2006) and a Professor at Swinburne since 2006.

Since joining Swinburne, Professor Brooks has been the Associate Dean of Research, Head of Mathematics at Swinburne and Pro-Vice Chancellor (Future Manufacturing). He currenty co-ordinates research for Extra Terrestrial processing at the University and a Program Leader in the ARC Steel Innovation Hub. He has also been active in recent years working with Physicists on Dark Matter detection research. Professor Brooks has published over 250 papers on fundamental aspects of steelmaking, aluminium production and materials processing in general. He has won significant international awards from the TMS, AIST, ASM and IOM3 for his contribution to metallurgical processing. Professor Brooks is a Fellow of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (UK).

Neil Goodman
HILT CRC board member, Director and former CEO at Magnum Mining & Exploration

Neil Goodman is a director and former Chief Executive Officer at Magnum Mining & Exploration, an ASX-listed mineral exploration company that aims to become the first pig iron producer for electric arc furnace (EAF) steelmakers on the US west coast.

Neil has formerly provided consulting services to organisations with plans to develop iron ore downstream processing opportunities worldwide. For over 20 years, Neil was involved in the design and commissioning of ironmaking plants in Europe, America and Asia for Davy McKee, based in the UK and the US. Following this, he was General Manager of Rio Tinto’s HIsmelt Corporation for more than 10 years, responsible for the design and operation of the first commercial scale HIsmelt plants in Western Australia and China.

Neil has worked in the steel industry for more than 40 years with a strong emphasis on the research, development and commercialisation of new technologies to improve efficiency and reduce environmental emissions. He brings to the HILT CRC Board experience in the development, management and commercialisation of intellectual property. Neil graduated from Imperial College London with a degree in Metallurgy and was the recipient of the Charles Salter prize for excellence in metallurgy from the Royal School of Mines.