Moeve and ArcelorMittal have created a joint innovation platform aimed at the development of projects related to industrial decarbonization and low CO2 steel production. The new entity is established at 50% under the allianceGreen Molecules to Green Steel(G2G) and will have its own financing and public resources to develop solutions that are applicable at an industrial scale.
The initiative will focus part of its activity on the use of green molecules, including biogas, biomethane, renewable hydrogen and their derivatives, as well as second-generation biofuels. The aim is to study their application in steelmaking processes to reduce emissions associated with steel production and analyze alternatives that may be viable from an industrial and economic perspective.
The platform will have funds contributed by both companies to finance the different projects. Sekuens, the Agency for Science, Business Competitiveness and Innovation of Asturias, will also participate through current and future instruments aimed at supporting innovation in Asturias.
The structure is open to the later inclusion of other public agencies, both regional and national, and private entities, as long as their activities and objectives are compatible with those established for G2G.
One of the areas of work will be the development of industrial demonstrators that, once their viability is proven, can be scaled up to a larger scale at the production centers of Moeve and ArcelorMittal. The innovation centers of both companies will act as a base to develop these technologies and study their application in industrial processes.
In addition to green molecules, the program includes other solutions linked to emissions reduction, such as the development of more efficient catalysts. Among the planned research lines are also technologies for CO2 capture and valorization, biotechnology applied to improving production processes, and artificial intelligence for the development of new materials.
The model proposed by both companies also considers collaboration withstartups, universities, and technology centers. With this structure, the companies intend to connect research projects with their subsequent application in industrial installations and facilitate the participation of different agents specialized in energy and steel technologies.
The CEO of Moeve, Maarten Wetselaar, has stated that the platform will allow for greater collaboration between the two companies in areas related to innovation, decarbonization, and European industrial competitiveness. According to Wetselaar, the initiative is also related to the energy projects aimed at reducing European energy dependence through new solutions and technologies.
From ArcelorMittal, its Vice President and Director of Technology, Pinakin Chaubal, has noted the need to continue studying technologies capable of making the reduction of the environmental impact of steel production compatible with its economic viability. Chaubal has indicated that the technological complexity of this process requires research models in which different companies and organizations participate, in addition to the company's in-house R&D centers.
Sekuens will be part of this structure as a public body linked to the business and technological development of Asturias. Its executive director, David González, has indicated that the agency will support the initiative and has highlighted among its potential effects the participation of Asturian technology companies specialized in areas such as industrial safety and biofuels.
The creation of G2G is integrated into the energy and industrial transformation strategies maintained by both companies. Moeve is developing its roadmapPositive Motion, which includes projects related to renewable fuels, green hydrogen, and other technologies aimed at reducing emissions from its activities.
Among the actions of the energy company is the construction of a second-generation biofuels plant and the development of the Andalusian Valley of Green Hydrogen, one of its main projects related to the production of renewable hydrogen.
ArcelorMittal, for its part, is developing projects in Spain linked to steel production with lower CO2 emissions. The company has actions at its facilities in Sestao, related to the production of flat products under the XCarb® recycled and renewably produced range, and in Gijón, where it works on projects aimed at long products.
Steelmaking is among the industrial activities with the highest energy needs, and its transformation requires progressively replacing processes and raw materials associated with the use of fossil fuels. The platform established by Moeve and ArcelorMittal will seek to transfer technologies initially developed in research centers to demonstrators and, subsequently, to production installations when they meet the necessary technical and economic conditions for industrial application.