Rio Tinto (ASX:RIO) and Chinese state-owned steelmaker Shougang Group have commissioned a carbon-capture trial facility at Shougang’s Jingtang operations in Hebei province, China.
The facility captures carbon dioxide from blast furnace gas produced during ironmaking. It can process up to 3,000m³ of gas per hour and capture as much as 10,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually.
Rio Tinto says the facility has been integrated into Shougang’s ironmaking system and will operate on a long-term basis for research and testing.
The project follows a smaller-scale facility commissioned in 2024 and forms part of a steel decarbonisation partnership established by the companies in 2022.
Their work also covers lower-carbon sintering, blast furnace and basic oxygen furnace optimisation, and potential uses for captured carbon.
Rio Tinto Iron Ore Sales and Marketing VP Ramona Sim says carbon capture and utilisation could support emissions reductions from existing blast furnaces as the technology develops.
“We’re committed to working with our customers to find better ways to use Pilbara ores in a lower-carbon future,” Sim says.
The companies are assessing whether captured carbon dioxide could be converted into synthetic gas and recycled into the steelmaking process, reducing the need for additional carbon inputs. Rio Tinto provided technical support as Shougang developed and scaled the technology.
Rio Tinto and Shougang have not disclosed the trial’s cost, capture efficiency, or the proportion of emissions from the Jingtang operations that it could capture.
Rio Tinto produces iron ore, aluminium, copper, and lithium across operations in several countries.
Write to France Pinzon at Mining.com.au
Main image: Rio Tinto
