Yet another notable achievement for Danieli Group, a global leader in industrial machinery with over a century of outstanding performance in the metals industry. The state-operated Libyan Iron and Steel Company (LISCO) has harnessed the Group’s extensive expertise to invest in a state-of-the-art direct reduction iron (DRI) plant. This investment aims to enhance the production of direct reduced iron, leveraging advanced technology and innovative solutions provided by Danieli Group to drive efficiency and sustainability.
Danieli Group and LISCO pave the way for constructing a new plant dedicated to DRI
On April 15, 2024, Danieli Group and the Libyan Iron and Steel Company (LISCO) formalized a Memorandum of Understanding to construct a state-of-the-art direct reduction plant designed to produce 2 million tons per year (Mtpy) of direct reduced iron (DRI) and hot-briquetted iron (HBI). This iron will be utilized by LISCO and sold to Italian steelmakers through an off-take agreement. The favorable site conditions in Libya, notably the availability and competitive cost of natural gas, have incentivized the state-owned Libyan company to invest in this innovative DRI plant, aiming to enhance its competitive edge in iron production. The plant will feature Energiron technology, known for its hybrid-ready design, which ensures maximum production flexibility in terms of reduction agent to be used in the process, including natural gas, coke oven gas, and hydrogen. This technology allows the plant to adapt to different energy sources, making it future-proof and versatile. Energiron DRI pellets can achieve up to 96% metallization, with carbon content ranging from 0.5% (with extensive hydrogen use) to 4.5% (using 100% natural gas). Energiron plants come equipped with standard carbon-capture units that extract CO2 from the process, making it available for other industrial applications. This feature significantly reduces the overall carbon emissions and provides an additional revenue stream, facilitating the production of green steel even before hydrogen becomes widely available. Additionally, Energiron plants feature the Hytemp® pneumatic transport system, delivering hot DRI at up to 600 °C directly to electric arc furnaces, ensuring energy-efficient liquid steel production. This technology, developed collaboratively by Tenova and Danieli Group, offers a cutting-edge solution for sustainable and efficient iron production.
Energiron plants: Danieli Group’s technology for high-metallization iron production
Danieli Group’s Energiron plants effectively reduce iron ore pellets into highly metallized hot or cold iron with controllable carbon content. The high operating pressure (6-8 barg) within the moving bed shaft furnace leads to low gas velocities and minimal fluidization, requiring smaller DR shafts for high production rates and ensuring minimal fines carryover, resulting in an iron oxide yield of 1.4 tIO/tDRI with 3.2mm screening and no remelt. This technology is the premier solution for supplying EAFs with DRI pellets that are rich in energy and iron. Maximum energy efficiency is achieved when DRI is discharged hot from the reactor and fed into the EAF at temperatures above 600 °C, optimizing thermal energy recovery and enhancing meltshop productivity and reducing electrical energy consumption. Energiron also offers process flexibility, allowing the use of various energy sources (natural gas, reformed gas, syngas from coal gasifiers, or COG) within the same fundamental process scheme, always maximizing energy efficiency and minimizing environmental impact. The built-in CO2 removal section in the reduction circuit ensures the cleanest DR technology available, leading to savings on carbon taxes and profits from pure CO2 commercialization.
