Erdemir Realizes Innovative Projects in Line with its Net Zero Target
Advancing its efforts in line with the Net Zero Carbon Roadmap, Erdemir commissioned the pilot Pyrolysis Plant with a biochar production capacity of 7,000 tons per year, aiming to generate fuel and carbon resources from biomass as an alternative to coal.
In early 2024, Erdemir announced its Net Zero Carbon Roadmap and continues to implement its innovative steps one by one. By successfully carrying out the hydrogen injection trial in the 1st Blast Furnace in October, Erdemir has positioned itself among the few producers in the world.
Erdemir, which is also engaged in strategic R&D projects aimed at green transformation, began laboratory-scale initiatives at the R&D Center in 2019 to reduce coal input in coke production by utilizing biomass and to explore the substitutability of coke dust in the sinter process. After positive results from the project outputs, work commenced on establishing a pilot Pyrolysis Plant in August 2022. In October, Erdemir commissioned the pilot Pyrolysis Plant, which has a biochar production capacity of 7,000 tons per year and aims to produce fuel and carbon resources from biomass as a substitute for fossil fuels. Throughout the project management process, all stages from the design of the plant to its commissioning were meticulously overseen by Erdemir's Engineering and R&D teams.
An important step towards green transformation
Erdemir, aiming to reduce its emissions by 25 percent by 2030, 40 percent by 2040, and to reach net zero by 2050 compared to 2022, its designated base year, has taken another important step towards green transformation with the completion of the pilot Pyrolysis Plant, one of its key greenhouse gas reduction projects.
In the pyrolysis process, biomass undergoes thermal decomposition at high temperatures in an oxygen-free environment, converting it into biochar. Erdemir aims to produce biochar with a zero-emission factor from biomass through the Pilot Pyrolysis Plant and plans to use biochar to partially replace fossil fuels in its production processes. Erdemir plans to use biochar in specific proportions as a substitute for coal in the coal blend during the coke process, for coke powder in the sinter blend in the sinter process, for injection coal in the blast furnace process, and for anthracite in the converter at the steel mill. Based on the results from the pilot plant, Erdemir aims to meet its emission reduction targets by scaling up to industrial biomass fuel production in the coming years. Through biochar production from biomass, Erdemir will reduce emissions and costs by partially substituting fossil fuels in its production process, taking another important step toward Türkiye's 2053 net zero carbon target.