Posted: 2024-05-23 00:42:49

As the world looks to decarbonise, more "green" energy and processes are being touted as the key to reducing emissions.

Green hydrogen has been in the spotlight lately, but could green iron be next big thing? 

Green iron is made with renewable energy sources that do not release carbon dioxide, instead releasing water, making it as decarbonised as possible.

This week, international company Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners announced its plans to build a green iron facility in Gladstone, central Queensland, and mine ore from a titanium magnetite deposit nearby.

A 3D plan showing multiple buildings

An artist impression of the green iron facility to be built at Gladstone.(Supplied: Quinbrook Infrastructure)

Industrial decarbonisation lead within CSIRO's Towards Net Zero mission, Warren Flentje, said this project would be world-leading and one of the first of its kind in Queensland.

So is green iron the way to go for reducing emissions and decarbonising the steelmaking process?

How does it work?

According to University of Newcastle senior chemical engineer Jessica Allen, traditional iron production uses a blast furnace, where iron ore and coal are combined to create the iron, and resulting in the production of carbon dioxide.

But the green iron process uses hydrogen instead of coal, combining iron ore with hydrogen gas.

"Instead of making carbon dioxide, like when you're using coal, you make the iron and you make water. So that's a decarbonised approach," she said.

It will also use renewable energy as a resource to power the production process.

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