Metallurgy

The metallurgical industry, particularly in Sweden, is facing major challenges related to climate impact, resource efficiency, and rapidly changing raw material streams. Producing metals with minimal greenhouse gas emissions, handling increasingly complex ores and scrap, and adapting to evolving metal content in consumer goods are all critical to achieving global sustainability goals.

Within Work Package 4 (WP4) – Metallurgy, CAMM conducts research in process metallurgy to enable resource-efficient, low-emission metal production. The work focuses on transforming ore concentrates and secondary materials into metals and alloys, while advancing recycling, residue utilisation, and fossil-free processing routes.

Raw Material Efficiency

A key research area within WP4 is improving raw material efficiency through a holistic understanding of combined ore and scrap processing. CAMM develops models based on fundamental thermodynamic and kinetic data to optimise the extraction of valuable and minor elements across the full metallurgical process chain.

Research includes laboratory and modelling studies of impurity elimination in roasting operations, as well as investigations into the behaviour and circulation of elements in unit processes such as the blast furnace. This work strengthens the fundamental understanding required for efficient and integrated scrap and ore processing.

Alternative Reductants for Fossil-Free Metallurgy

Research within this area focuses primarily on the use of biocoal in blast furnace ironmaking, including improving the efficiency of biocoal introduction and recycling carbon-containing residues and waste fractions. Several activities are carried out in collaboration with Swedish and European industry-supported projects.

Research addresses flexibility in cokemaking by developing methods for using biocoal, thermal coal, pet coke, and other carbon materials to reduce dependence on traditional coking coals. Studies on coal combustion efficiency under varying blast furnace conditions include laboratory-scale kinetic investigations, with results applied in CFD modelling to support equipment optimisation.

The use of bio-based reductants for injection and in agglomerates is investigated through laboratory and full-scale plant trials. In addition, waste plastics and carbon-containing residues such as blast furnace sludge are evaluated as reductants and for internal recycling within iron- and steelmaking processes.

Recycling and Residue Utilisation

WP4 also focuses on recycling and residue utilisation, with particular emphasis on increasing the value and application of metallurgical slags and other by-products. Research builds on the unique mineralogical properties of slags from iron, steel, and base metal production to support their use as secondary raw materials.

By improving recycling routes and internal material loops, CAMM contributes to a more circular and resilient metals industry.

International Collaboration

Through strong international collaboration with universities and industries worldwide, CAMM’s metallurgy research drives innovation toward a sustainable, resource-efficient, and fossil-free future for metal production.

Explore Process Metallurgy