In April 2021, ArcelorMittal Belgium launched a new project “SMART: Steelmaking with Alternative Reductants”. The LIFE SMART project is an innovative technique to reduce emissions by recycling end-of-life plastics and other waste. In the steelmaking process, so-called ‘reductants’ are needed to transform iron ore into hot metal. The LIFE SMART project allows us to replace fossil carbon-containing reductants such as coal with circular waste-based reductants. To this end, Vanheede Environment Group, an integrated environmental company located in Belgium, will supply ArcelorMittal with SRF (solid recovered fuel) AlterCoal pellets. These pellets are a mixture of organic waste, household waste and plastic with a high energy value. These AlterCoal pellets will be transformed into metallurgical coke and into pulverized coal. Both take on the role of reductant and energy source in the blast furnace. By reducing the use of fossil carbon, we will be able to reduce our CO2 emissions and provide a solution for particularly difficult waste streams, such as plastics. The SMART project is yet another step forward in our ambition to become the sustainable steel plant of the future, the cornerstone of a circular economy.
