International cooperation through research program

PhD student from Luleå University of Technology in a research exchange with the research institute IIASA in Austria. Every year, the research program YSSP is held at the International Institute of Applied System Analysis (IIASA) in Austria. This year, Jim Allansson was one of 50 PhD students from around the world who were selected to participate in the program, contributing with his research on the role of forestry biomass in the steel industry’s transition.

Biochar as key to fossil-free steel production

With the new steel production route, where an electric arc furnace is combined with direct reduction of iron ore pellets, the need for fossil coal is drastically reduced. In the reduction step, no coal is required at all, but a certain amount is still needed in the electric arc furnace for metallurgical processes. To achieve fully fossil-free production, this coal must come from renewable sources. Here, biochar produced from forest resources emerges as a promising alternative.

Biochar is produced by heat-treating biomass, such as forestry residues. Since it is part of the natural carbon cycle, it can replace fossil coal and thus contribute to a more sustainable steel production.

Theoretical modeling of value chains

In collaboration with the research institute IIASA, the theoretical potential of biochar has been explored to reduce the climate footprint of the steel industry at the EU level. The study is based on a further development of one of IIASA’s existing supply chain models, BeWhere, and has been applied to the 19 steel plants in the EU that plan to switch to electric arc furnace and direct reduction.

The analysis makes it possible to assess the supply costs and climate benefits of biochar based on local conditions and the availability of biomass resources. Through the collaboration with IIASA, we have gained insights into which countries have good conditions for using biochar in their transition, and where other measures should be prioritized first. The results can also be used to understand how sensitive the system is to disruptions and increased competition for renewable resources.