Australian technology company Element Zero has secured up to A$26 million (€14.5 million) in government funding to scale its electrochemical technology for producing high-purity iron from Australian iron ore.
The funding, provided by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), will contribute to the company’s A$53.65 million Green Iron Electroreduction Demonstration Module project in Western Australia.
Element Zero currently operates a continuous plant in Perth producing around 10 kg of high-purity iron per day. The project will initially scale this to one tonne per day, with a possible second stage targeting 10 tonnes per day, subject to a review and ARENA approval.
Alternative route to low-emission iron
Element Zero’s process uses electricity and molten salts to convert iron ore into metallic iron without relying on coal for the reduction process. It is designed to operate at around 400-450°C and will be tested with different Australian ores, including hematite-goethite.
The ability to process Australian ore grades could be important for the country’s ambitions to develop a domestic green iron industry. ARENA is also supporting hydrogen-based technologies as it explores different routes to lower-emission iron production.
Element Zero ultimately plans to develop repeatable production modules that could be deployed commercially in Western Australia’s Pilbara, combining local iron ore with renewable electricity.
“Our goal is to combine Australian iron ore, renewable electricity and Australian-developed technology to produce green iron in Australia, rather than exporting our iron ore and leaving the value-adding to happen overseas,” said Element Zero CEO Michael Masterman.
The demonstration project will generate operating data and assess the technology’s potential for further scale-up and eventual supply of low-emission iron to the steel industry.
Sources: Element Zero, ARENA, Australian Government; Foto: Fotolia
