High value biocoke for low emission steel production (2023-2027)
Abstract
This project aims to discover a means to add biomass to coal blends for producing high strength metallurgical cokes. Steel will continue to be made using Blast Furnaces into the foreseeable future and currently contributes to 5% of global CO2 emissions. High strength coke plays a vital role, cannot be replaced, and is currently made from coal. Supplementing coal with biomass would reduce emissions, however, biomass properties lead to low strength biocokes. This proposal presents an innovation to overcome the deleterious properties of biomass and is expected to lead to a new technology for adding high levels to cokemaking blends. This will help Australia take a leading role in curbing worldwide CO2 emissions from steel production and create high value products from its agricultural wastes and other plantation outputs. The key benefit is a contribution to the circular economy, creating synergy between food and steel industries whereby CO2 is converted into crops, utilised in steel making, and returns to CO2. The team at UQ have demonstrated experience in translating research into commercialised outcomes.
