Air Liquide partners with ArcelorMittal in pilot project to capture and recycle carbon

Air Liquide is partnering with ArcelorMittal in the first industrial scale demonstration plant to capture carbon gas from the steelmaking process and recycle it into chemicals, specifically advanced bioethanol*.

In this project, Air Liquide Engineering & Construction will provide a technology solution that purifies the offgas coming from the blast furnace. These gases will then be injected into a bioreactor to produce bioethanol. This technology leverages Air Liquide’s extensive know-how and illustrates its capacity to develop sustainable solutions supporting its customers in the steel industry to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. 

The project is led by the world-leading steel company ArcelorMittal together with its partner Lanzatech, and supported by EU Horizon 2020, the EU research and innovation program. Located at ArcelorMittal’s steel plant in Ghent, Belgium, this first industrial scale demonstration plant will produce advanced bioethanol from waste gases from the steelmaking process. Construction of the facility is underway at the ArcelorMittal site in Ghent Belgium and the plant is planned to become operational at the end of 2020. It is expected to produce 80 million litres of bioethanol annually.

François Venet, Senior Vice President Strategy and member of the Air Liquide group’s Executive Committee supervising the Large Industries Business Line and Engineering & Construction stated:

”This new partnership with ArcelorMittal demonstrates our shared commitment to contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This is also a clear illustration of the initiatives Air Liquide has committed to as part of its Climate Objectives. We strive to push the boundaries of innovation to lower the carbon footprint of the industry and develop technology solutions for our customers to contribute to the energy transition.”

*Advanced bioethanol is a second generation of biofuel manufactured from non-food biomass.