lllustration photo shows an anaerobic digester biogas plant in Germany producing biogas from agricultural waste Shutterstock

lllustration photo shows an anaerobic digester biogas plant in Germany producing biogas from agricultural waste Shutterstock

The steel giant will work with a subsidiary of Vow ASA, a technology firm specialised in decarbonising industry to use its patented Biogreen pyrolysis technology, which involves heating sustainable biomass at high temperatures.

According to ArcelorMittal, the gases emitted during this process are then captured and processed into biogas, which will directly replace the use of natural gas in the Rodange plant’s rolling mill reheating furnace.

“By-products such as bio-coal will also be created during the process, and re-used within ArcelorMittal, directly replacing the use of coal,” the firm said in a press release.

The iron and steel industry is one of the biggest emitters of CO2, according to the European Commission. McKinsey calculaed that in 2018, every ton of steel produced on average 1.85 tons of carbon dioxide, contributing about 8% of global carbon dioxide emissions.

To achieve the goals set out in the Paris Agreement, the EU developed its “Clean Planet for All” vision for the European economy to become climate neutral by 2050.

Biogas usually refers to gases produced through anaerobic degradation of organic or man-made matter. As a renewable carbon neutral energy source, it is used to generate electricity, heat or transportation fuel.

In 2017, Europe counted 18,943 biogas plants with combined production of 17 million tons of oil equivalent. The same year, renewable gases supplied around 7% of gross inland energy consumption in the EU, according to deputy head of unit at the European Commission’s energy department Antonio Lopez-Nicolas. To reach climate neutrality by 2050, production will have to scale up to 250 million tons of oil equivalent.