EEC 2026 - 14th European Electric Steelmaking Conference & EMECR 2026 - 5th International Conference on Energy and Material Efficiency and CO2 Reduction in the Steel Industry

Session

New and emergent ironmaking Technologies II

12 May 2026, 11:00

Parini room

Conveners

New and emergent ironmaking Technologies II

• Filippo Cirilli (Rina Consulting Centro Sviluppo Materiali)

9. Volteron™: Scalable Electrochemical Ironmaking for Carbon-Free Steel Production

Mr David Michel (John Cockerill)

12/05/2026, 11:00

EMECR 1. New and emergent ironmaking Technologies (hydrogen, biomass, electrolysis, etc.)

Keynote Presentation

With growing regulatory pressure and the need to achieve net-zero targets, new technologies for ‘low carbon’ steelmaking are being urgently explored. Volteron™, developed by the John Cockerill Group and ArcelorMittal Group, introduces a novel electrochemical ironmaking route based on low-temperature electrowinning of iron oxide. The technology eliminates direct CO₂ emissions and leverages...

130. Hy4Smelt – Industrial Demonstration Project to Proof Potential Net-Zero Ironmaking by Combining Breakthrough HYFOR® and Smelter Technologies

Dr. Alexander Fleischanderl (Primetals)

12/05/2026, 11:20

EMECR 1. New and emergent ironmaking Technologies (hydrogen, biomass, electrolysis, etc.)

Oral Presentation

Achieving net zero ironmaking demands a fundamental shift away from conventional blast furnace routes, which remain among the largest industrial sources of CO₂ emissions due to their dependence on fossil fuels and limited integration of hydrogen. The Hy4Smelt industrial demonstration project addresses this challenge by combining hydrogen based fine ore reduction using the HYFOR® process with...

141. Thermal and reaction analysis of iron ore agglomerates under hydrogen atmosphere

Hiroshi Nogami (Tohoku University)

12/05/2026, 11:40

EMECR 1. New and emergent ironmaking Technologies (hydrogen, biomass, electrolysis, etc.)

Oral Presentation

Hydrogen ironmaking is considered a promising technology for achieving carbon neutrality in the steelmaking industry. Hydrogen reduction is an endothermic reaction, whereas the conventional CO reduction is exothermic. Therefore, the heat supply to the reaction site is an important issue. Macroscopically, heat is transferred by the hot reducing gas flow, and thermal-fluid analysis is a useful...

153. Techno-Economic Assessment of H₂-DRI and NG-DRI-CCS Processes for Low-Emission Iron Production

Sara Guazzi (Department of Energy, Politecnico di Milano)

12/05/2026, 12:00

EMECR 1. New and emergent ironmaking Technologies (hydrogen, biomass, electrolysis, etc.)

Oral Presentation

The decarbonization of the iron and steel industry, responsible for approximately 7% of global energy-related CO2 emissions, represents a critical challenge due to its high energy demand and the intrinsic characteristics of the processes, making it strongly dependent on fossil fuels. Hydrogen-based direct reduced iron (H2-DRI) has gained increasing attention and is currently considered one of...

58. Heat Transfer Mechanisms in Electric Smelter Furnaces for Ironmaking

Ujwal Kudaru (Swinburne University Of Technology)

12/05/2026, 12:20

EMECR 1. New and emergent ironmaking Technologies (hydrogen, biomass, electrolysis, etc.)

Oral Presentation

ABSTRACT

Key words: Electric Smelter Furnace (ESF), Joule Heating, CFD, Radiation, Convection

Steel production involves the reduction, melting, and refining of iron ore. In this processing route, the Electric Smelter Furnace (ESF) is employed to melt the ore and produce molten iron for subsequent refining. Unlike traditional blast furnaces, which rely heavily on carbon-intensive coke,...