Moving from natural gas to hydrogen

Direct Reduced Iron (DRI) was introduced commercially in the late 1950s and was viewed as a niche material for use in electric arc furnaces (EAFs) where vast amounts of steel were not needed or where adequate supplies of scrap were not available. Things have since taken an upwards turn as progressive EAF-based minimills, based predominantly in the USA, and buoyed by the fact that DRI has had a positive effect on inclusions in scrap, have started to produce high-grade steels at highly competitive prices. But how is Midrex approaching decarbonization and the move towards hydrogen steelmaking? By Todd Astoria*, Greg Hughes** and Noriaki Mizutani***

A LOT has changed in the world of iron and steel production in the last 50 years. The cost efficiencies of oxygen steelmaking – a method in which pure oxygen is blown into large quantities of molten blast-furnace iron (hot metal) and scrap to oxidize impurities such as carbon, silicon, phosphorus, and manganese – sounded the death knell for open hearth steelmaking. Today, the majority of global steel production (about 66%) is produced in basic oxygen facilities.[1]

The emergence of the electric arc furnace (EAF) provided the coup de grace for the open hearth.* Initially used for speciality steels and the manufacturing of steel alloys, the EAF began competing for the production of carbon steels (long products). Because EAFs could be sized to meet the needs of a specific market and used local or regional scrap resources for their iron charge, they became known as mini-mills or market mills. The percentage of EAF-based steelmaking has been steadily increasing due to its flexibility, economy-of-scale, and cost-competitiveness and now accounts for about 33% of global steel production[1] and over 70% in the USA[2] .

On the ironmaking side, coke-fuelled blast furnaces were producing large volumes of hot metal to satisfy the growing need for steel products to support global industrial expansion. Direct Reduced Iron (DRI), introduced commercially in the late 1950s, was viewed as a niche material for use in EAFs where vast amounts of steel were not needed or where adequate supplies of scrap were not available. However, progressive EAF-based steel companies took notice of the positive effect DRI had on inclusions in scrap and

Left to right: Todd Astoria, Greg Hughes, Noriaki Mizutani

found that they could produce even the highest-grade steels – and at a cost that few traditional integrated steelmakers could match.

However, the use of significant percentages of DRI in EAFs has given rise to one of the biggest iron and steel industry facelifts in history – decarbonization. Steel production via the DRI-EAF route has the lowest carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions of any iron ore-based method. MIDREX® Plants based on clean-burning natural gas (MIDREX NG™) are seen as the most viable near-term response to the need to reduce CO2 emissions associated with iron and steel production.

As the means of producing sufficient volumes of hydrogen at competitive prices develop for use as fuel and reductant in direct reduction plants, Midrex can modify existing plants to replace natural gas with hydrogen (MIDREX Flex™) and design new plants to use up to 100% hydrogen for their fuel and reductant (MIDREX H2™).

* The last open-hearth facility in the US closed in 1992 and in China in 2001.[1]

The direct CO2 intensity of crude steel has been relatively constant (within a 20% range) during the past two decades, and in the last couple of years has returned to roughly the 2000-08 level[3]. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the CO2 intensity of crude steel needs to fall by an average of 2.5% annually between 2018 and 2030. Achieving this and maintaining it after 2030 will not be easy.

Energy efficiency improvements spurred much of the reduction in recent years, returning CO2 intensity to previous levels, but opportunities for further efficiency improvements will likely soon be exhausted. Thus, innovation to commercialize new low-emissions process routes, including those integrating CCUS (Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage) and hydrogen, in the upcoming decade, will be crucial to realize the long-term transformational change required.

Fig 1. The global steel industry emitted around 3.5 Gt of CO2 emissions in 2019. Of this, 2.6 Gt were from fuel use (direct emissions) and 0.9 Gt was from electricity use (indirect emissions). Source: Global Efficiency Intelligence blog, January 6, 2021

While the energy intensity of steel has gradually fallen since 2009, expanding production from 2009 to 2014 raised total energy demand and CO2 emissions. After a small decline between 2014 and 2016, energy demand and CO2 emissions increased in 2017 and 2018, primarily because of higher steel production. Based on total steel industry emissions (see Fig 1) and global annual CO2 emissions (52 Gt, as reported in the UN Emissions Gap Report 2020, or 33 Gt in 2019, as reported by the IEA), the global steel industry accounts for around 7-11% of total global CO2 emissions[4] . Substantial cuts in total energy demand and CO2 emissions will be needed by 2030 to be on track with the IEA Sustainable Development Scenario (SDS), which envisions a major transformation of the global energy system that is in keeping with the three main UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG): social development, environmental protection, and economic growth.

Short-term CO2 emissions reductions could come largely from energy efficiency improvements and increased scrap collection to enable more scrap-based production. Longer-term reductions would require the adoption of new direct reduced iron (DRI) and smelt reduction technologies that facilitate the integration of low-carbon electricity (directly or through electrolytic hydrogen) and CCS (carbon capture and storage), as well as material efficiency strategies to optimize steel use. Using hydrogen (H2) to make iron is not a new concept. Therefore, it is more of an evolution than a breakthrough that the MIDREX Process can be adapted to accommodate more hydrogen as it

Fig 2. Ironmaking reactions

Fig 3. Multi-purpose pilot plant at Midrex R&D Technology Centre circa 1990 becomes economical to do so. The MIDREX Process uses CO and H2 to accomplish reduction, which is the removal of oxygen from ore (opposite of oxidation). There are many reactions occurring in the direct reduction reactors, but the primary ones are shown in Fig 2. Iron is represented by Fe and methane (primary component of natural gas) and is represented by CH4.

In the case of the standard MIDREX Process using natural gas (MIDREX NG), the typical gas content is 55 mol % H2 and 36 mol % CO with the balance comprised of H2O, CO2, N2, and CH4. Since reduction occurs between 800 and 900°C, temperature control is a very important consideration. Reaction 1 is endothermic (requires heat) while reaction 2 is exothermic (gives off heat). Reforming reactions are highly endothermic and mostly done in the reformer, although some in-situ reforming is taking place in the shaft furnace. The thermal balancing of Reactions 1 and 2 makes the MIDREX Process easy to control because the temperature in the furnace stays relatively constant. Since 1969, MIDREX Plants have produced more than 1 billion tons of DRI made with over 50% hydrogen.

Direct reduction with higher levels of hydrogen has been proven in a MIDREX Shaft Furnace. The FMO MIDREX Plant in Venezuela uses a steam reformer, and H2/ CO has varied from 3.3 to 3.8. There are also six MIDREX Modules that utilize gas made from coal, and these have H2 to CO ratios from 0.37 to 2.0. Thus, the MIDREX Process has successfully produced DRI at H2/ CO ratios from 0.37 to 3.8.

On a smaller scale, Midrex has vast experience with hydrogen reduction. In the late-1970s to mid-1980s the company operated a pilot plant at its Research & Development Technology Centre, which is shown in Fig 3. The pilot was built to test and demonstrate the Electrothermal Direct Reduction Process (EDR). While the purpose of this pilot plant was not to test hydrogen reduction, several campaigns utilized a very high hydrogen content – as high as 4.2 H2/ CO in 1986.

More recently, all reduction steps in the tests conducted in the experimental furnace designed to evaluate carburization kinetics (which formed the basis for the MIDREX Adjustable Carbon Technology, ACT™) were performed under pure hydrogen.

Fig 4. H2 injection points based on percentage of NG replaced by H2

1 Downstream 0 – 90%

of Reformer 2 Burner fuel 75 – 100% 3 Upstream of Reformer 85 – 100%

Table 1. H2 Injection point based on percentage of NG replaced by H2

Steelmakers – especially European steelmakers – face a daunting challenge in transitioning to near carbon-free ironmaking. Traditional operation of blast furnace/basic oxygen furnace (BF-BOF) steel mills is unlikely to meet the target CO2 reductions in the Paris Agreement of 2016, and BFs are generally old and need expensive relines. EAFs will need significant amounts of ore-based metallics (pig iron and DRI/HBI) to dilute the residuals in scrap. Pig iron production is predominantly BF-based and there is but one DRI plant currently operating in the European Union (EU), ArcelorMittal Hamburg. Hydrogen is not available in the quantities nor the cost needed to be competitive, and no one can predict when it will be.

However, the same basic process technology that is in use by ArcelorMittal Hamburg – MIDREX NG – is the first step in the Midrex transition to 100% hydrogen ironmaking. MIDREX NG already uses significant amounts of hydrogen in its reducing gas and can cut CO2 emissions by 35% compared to the coke oven/ blast furnace (CO/BF) ironmaking route. For a typical MIDREX NG plant, up to 30% of the natural gas input to the plant can be replaced with hydrogen without

any changes to the process equipment. Operation with higher percentages of hydrogen is achievable with low-risk equipment modifications.

Therefore, a MIDREX NG plant operating with 100% natural gas could be built now, while the availability of hydrogen in sufficient quantities and at a competitive cost is being developed, and later transitioned to use up to 100% hydrogen (MIDREX Flex).

Midrex can design greenfield plants based on MIDREX H2 technology specifically for 100% hydrogen operation or for majority hydrogen operation with minimal natural gas usage. Hydrogen for a MIDREX Flex or MIDREX H2 plant can be obtained from various sources including carbon capture

(see later in this article).

A MIDREX NG plant can be equipped to operate with H2 substituted for some or most of the natural gas normally utilized by the plant. This evolutionary plant technology, known as MIDREX Flex, provides the flexibility to replace any percentage of the natural gas (NG) feedstock with H2 based on the plant’s operating goals. This provides the flexibility the plant needs to respond to ever changing market needs and feedstock availability. The flowsheet shown in Fig 4 indicates the three H2 injection points when utilizing MIDREX Flex technology. Any existing MIDREX NG plant can be easily converted to a MIDREX Flex plant.

Table 1 indicates the H2 injection point and when it is used based on the percentage of NG replaced by H2.

In the early stages of H2 transition, the small amount of H2 added is injected downstream of the reformer without preheating. From 0-75% NG replacement, the hydrogen is only utilized in the process downstream of the MIDREX Reformer. This facilitates optimizing the reformer operation so it can be held as close to the MIDREX NG operating conditions as possible during H2 transition while maximizing the reducing gas quality to the reduction furnace. In order to maintain the DRI product carbon as far into the replacement as possible and still continue to reduce the carbon footprint, when the NG replacement percentage reaches ~75%, H2 is added to the reformer burners. H2 injection is introduced upstream of the MIDREX reformer between ~85 to 100% NG replacement in order to maintain reducing gas quality and enhance energy efficiency in the process.

The Midrex philosophy for converting from MIDREX NG to MIDREX Flex is as follows: • Maintain full plant capacity across the full transition range. • Maximize the DRI carbon at each point across the full transition range. • Maintain optimum reducing gas quality >9.5 to the reduction furnace can be achieved with H2 addition downstream of the reformer up to 80% NG replacement by H2. Above 80% NG replacement, the H2 addition is transitioned to the feed gas side of the reformer. • Apply the standard type of centrifugal compressors used by Midrex (with the addition of a 3rd stage of compression for higher NG replacement >80%). • Maintain the required amount of thermal mass flow to support the increasing endothermic reduction load. A higher H2

Fig 5. H2/CO trend of reducing gas Fig 6 .Cold and hot process water flow during H2 transition Fig 7 .Carbon in the DRI as H2 replacement increases

endothermic reduction load in the furnace requires a larger thermal mass flow at the bustle since the H2/CO increases as H2 addition increases (See Fig 5). The bustle gas flow per ton is increased steadily over the transition to 100% H2, as the H2/CO ratio rises to infinity. • Minimize equipment modifications or the addition of new equipment to the plant.

An existing MIDREX NG plant requires very little equipment modification to be converted to MIDREX Flex. No equipment modifications are required to the feed/ discharge systems, reduction furnace, scrubbers, process piping, reformer, oxygen injection systems, carburizing gas injection systems, product cooler, and HBI cooling systems. This section describes the major plant areas that need to be considered and modified to accommodate the full range of operation from 100% NG to 100% H2.

Increasing addition of H2 to the loop requires that the total process gas flowrate needs to increase. The increasing flow is driven by the fact that reduction by hydrogen is more endothermic than reduction by CO. The higher process gas flowrate is needed to maintain the energy balance (thermal mass) in the shaft furnace. For an existing plant, the process gas compressor capacity will become limiting at about 30% NG replacement. The addition of a single additional compression stage allows for operation across the full transition range.

The heat transfer load on the heat recovery system decreases as H2 addition increases. In order to maintain high energy efficiency and operational flexibility, some modifications are needed for the heat recovery system. For example, additional piping and valving adds the ability to control and balance the performance of the heat recovery bundles, which along with some minor equipment additions allows the system to operate across the full range of the transition.

If the MIDREX NG Plant is designed to discharge CDRI either directly from the reduction furnace or through an external product cooler at NG replacement levels > ~70%, an additional small parallel compression step needs to be installed. As the NG replacement progresses and NG is withdrawn from the cooling zone, the gas composition reverts to mostly N2 or a mixture of H2 and N2, which drives the cooling gas requirement from 650 Nm3/tDRI up to as much as 1,000-1,100 Nm3/tDRI.

The load of cold process water and hot process water changes as H2 addition increases. Fig 6 indicates one example of this water flow trend with NG replacement. To take advantage of this reduction in hot water demand and increase in cold water demand, the installation of piping and valves to support this operational change need to be made. Additionally, more cooling tower capacity, recirculation and supply pumps with interconnecting piping for the higher H2 operation are required to support the higher condensation and cooling loads on these systems.

DRI carbon is derived from the NG consumed in a MIDREX Plant. Maintaining carbon in HDRI is possible across most of the range from 0-100% H2 within specified limitations. As the transition to 100% NG replacement progresses, maintaining a higher percentage of product carbon is not possible. For example, hot DRI (HDRI) carbon would be ~1.5-2.0% in the case of 30% NG replacement and ~1.3-1.5% in case of 7585% NG replacement (See Fig 7).

Though carbon in cold DRI (CDRI) is higher than in HDRI since carbon loss occurs at the hot transport conveyor, this drop in carbon content is directly related to the removal of carbon atoms from the process by NG replacement. Operation of the process and the priority given to which NG users are replaced first is optimized to retain as much carbon in the HDRI as possible for as long into the transition as possible.

CO2 removal is not necessary in a MIDREX NG plant or a MIDREX Flex plant because the CO2 is recycled back into the reformer and converted into CO – a kind of a carbon loop. However, it is possible to include a CO2 removal system in these plants if it is economical (e.g. carbon tax credits) and if there is a means to store or utilize the CO2. Additionally, Midrex has engineered CO2 removal systems for plants based on coal gasification – which is required for the process – that can take advantage of carbon capture and storage (CCS).

There are two options to separate CO2and

capture it: 1. Remove CO2 from the top gas fuel, which is used in the reformer for heating. CO2 emissions can be reduced by 0.25 to 0.35 t/t DRI. 2. Remove CO2 from the flue gas of the reformer, after heat recovery. CO2 emissions can be reduced by ~0.5 t/t DRI (for a 2Mt/ yr plant, that means an additional 500kt to 1Mt/yr of CO2).

The two options can be used together. Each option removes about half of the CO2 being emitted, making it possible to achieve near zero CO2 emissions. Any MIDREX Plant can be built with CO2 removal or provisions to install CO2 removal at a later date, when the economics are more favourable.

Iron and steelmaking are a large contributor to the emission of greenhouse gases, notably CO2. The industry is facing increasing pressure to decarbonize, but there are many challenges to overcome. Hydrogen ironmaking is a real possibility for future (near) carbon-free steelmaking, but there are significant uncertainties around the availability of hydrogen in the volumes needed for ironmaking and at a competitive cost.

The best possibility for reducing the steel industry’s CO2 footprint is the use of hydrogen as an energy source and reductant for iron ore in the MIDREX Process. Today, reduction of CO2 emissions by 50% (over BF/BOF) is achievable and well-proven. Although the hydrogen comes from natural gas (‘blue hydrogen’), the process is flexible enough to accept ‘green’ hydrogen produced from water electrolysis as it becomes available and economical, which will further reduce CO2 emissions.

Midrex offers technologies that bridge the transition from 100% natural gas to 100% hydrogen direct reduction: MIDREX NG, for the immediate and mid-term future allowing up to 30% natural gas replacement with hydrogen without equipment modifications; MIDREX Flex, which provides a plant the flexibility to operate on any mixture of natural gas and hydrogen (up to 100% hydrogen) with some low-risk modifications; and MIDREX H2, which is designed to use up to 100% hydrogen in a MIDREX Shaft Furnace as the feed gas. All MIDREX Process configurations can operate on the industry’s broadest range of raw materials and reducing gas sources including hydrogen from carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS).

Ultimately, MIDREX H2 holds great promise for advancing the decarbonization of ironmaking leading to near zero-emission steelmaking. However, investments for the future can be made today in plants based on MIDREX NG technology, knowing they are readily adaptable as we advance toward the hydrogen economy. �

[1] Bell, Terence. “The History of Steel.” ThoughtCo, Aug. 28, 2020, thoughtco. com/steel-history-2340172. [2] Hites, Becky E. “The Growth of EAF Steelmaking.” Recycling Today, April 30, 2020. [3] IEA (2020), Iron and Steel, IEA, Paris https://www.iea.org/reports/iron-and-steel [4] https://www.globalefficiencyintel.com/ new-blog/2021/global-steel-industrys-ghgemissions

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Alternative, renewable fuels are the way to build a greener industry, says Ian Jones*, as they not only offer a lower cost to traditional fuels, but exist as a here and now option to decrease emissions and reach net zero targets while further technologies are in still in development.

We are just starting our commissioning stage. Things are very exciting at present, we’re keen to see how the plant will perform as everyone who has gone through a similar process knows.

We have been working with a number of potential off takers in the steel industry and it’s fascinating to see how our product can aid the industry in reducing CO2 emissions.

The market seems very busy with several challenges on the horizon, not least emissions and the drive towards net zero. Some producers are looking at wood biomass to meet these challenges, but availability and cost will be an issue.

We have confidence the industry can meet these challenges especially as, I think, we’re starting to see the beginning of a European recession and the slow down in production should give manufacturers an opportunity to look at the process changes that will be required to utilize different fuels.

We have had dealings so far with the blast furnace and EAF plants.

We’re mostly busy in Europe, but we have been speaking to several interested parties across the globe which is really exciting.

We hope to have news very soon with a few interested parties that we are looking to contract with for the first plant.

Both metals have their advantages and are utilised within our plant, and both products have their merits. We are fairly agnostic and neutral in the argument. We just hope producers of both can see the emissions and cost benefit in using our product.

We aim to provide the very best SIRF (solid improved recovered fuel) with the best available technology and standards; this is the aim of the team. We welcome any improvements that will help reduce CO2 and provide efficiency to our process.

Hydrogen offers a great opportunity in the future and there are a lot of exciting potential applications which we welcome. While these are being developed, WKE SIRF pellets can offer a here and now application to help the industry reduce its CO2 emissions.

Absolutely! We are contacted about potential use all the time. WKE pellets have a biomass content of over 50% which has been refined through our unique process where we pulverise the material to <10mm. This presents our pellets as an alternative fuel, reducing the need for coal, at half the current costs of coal, with reduced CO2 emissions.

We’ve found the industry to be pragmatic. It recognises the need to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and questions relating to storage, transportation, and how to feed the fuel into the process have been asked from the outset. Based on the people we have met in the industry, we believe the steel industry is up for the challenge of responding to ‘green politics’.

We help with steel production technology by finding new ways to use our pellets in production to replace traditional fossil fuels and biomass.

We are keen to grow and develop with the

steel industry. We have plans for UK and European plants to support the industry, as it moves away from coal. We are also able to look at co-locating a pellet plant to further reduce carbon miles and ensure long term supply.

China isn’t as focused on green steel production as other manufacturers are, and they have an endless supply of cheaper labour with less emphasis on HSE, emissions and carbon neutrality.

Manufacturers and consumers need to focus on marketing the product with ethical buyers in mind as the landscape is changing, but this cannot be at any cost and a continued focus on long term efficiency, production cost and greener fuels would benefit all.

The steel we have used on the plant has mainly come out of Europe and we haven’t at this time engaged with any Chinese plants.

We are engaged with both primary and secondary facilities which is really exciting, but both have their challenges to get the best out of WKE pellets.

We are very optimistic for the future of the global steel industry, using our pellets as an alternative to fossil fuel, aiding in the reduction of CO2 emissions, and allowing an industry to grow further using alternative fuels.

We will be looking at some of the steel industry exhibitions and conferences taking place over the next few months. We can’t wait to grow our network.

The UK steel market is looking into using alternative fuels but there are long lead times on permits needing to be changed. The market is constrained by high fossil fuel prices and high energy costs. We hope the government will investigate this further and help open doors for alternative fuels in the production of UK Steel.

The cost of transport, gas and electricity.

An immediate move to a sustainable renewable fuel. �

Tim Smith* chronicles the history of an iconic UK landmark, Redcar furnace, which after close to five decades of service, was demolished in late 2022.

The moment of demolition the Redcar blast furnace was demolished (Picture courtesy Teesside Live Reach PLC)

AT 9am, local time, on Wednesday 23 November 2022, the most significant destruction of the iron industry of Teesside, Middlesborough, North Yorkshire, UK, took place with the demolition of the Redcar blast furnace. Demolition specialists, Thompsons of Prudhoe based in Northumberland, UK, used 175 tonnes of explosives to bring down the largest blast furnace in the British Isles and once, the second largest in Europe. The BOS shop had already been demolished by them in October along with much of the former works infrastructure to make way for a £113m regeneration of the 600 acre (243 hectare) site, at the mouth of the River Tees, as a ‘Freeport’.

The blast furnace was commissioned in 1979 under the ownership of the then nationalised British Steel Corporation as part of a £400m investment, with a further £100m to upgrade the nearby Lackenby steelmaking complex.

The new blast furnace had a design capacity of 10kt/day (3.25Mt/yr) and, at the time, was planned as one of two identical furnaces to be built on the site to accommodate an annual output close to 6.5Mt. In the event, the second furnace was never built.

Furnaces were first built at Redcar in 1874 by Robson, Maynard & Co which become Walker, Maynard & Co nine years later when four furnaces were in blast. Dorman Long & Co Ltd took over the site in 1915 when assets included two furnaces in operation and an ironstone mine at nearby Kilton. Dorman Long had earned a reputation for bridge building, ship plate manufacture and steel construction activities, at home and abroad. Steelmaking was by basic open hearth furnaces. In 1929, they acquired the one-time world’s largest ironworks, Bolckow-Vaughan & Co, which itself had taken over the Clay Lane ironworks at Eston, Redcar in 1900. The number of furnaces peaked at 40 in 1929 but had fallen to just two by 1957, both located at the Clay Lane works. In 1958, Dorman Long commissioned a Universal Beam mill 4km to the south-west of Redcar at Lackenby.

In 1967, the company became part of British Steel and Tube Ltd – a consortium including the steelmakers, Stewarts and Lloyd’s at Corby, Northants, and South Durham Steel & Iron, Middlesbrough. However, this merger was short lived as the UK government nationalised the UK’s steel industry in July of that year, with the works becoming part of British Steel Northern and Tubes Group.

In 1974, under the management of the British Steel Corporation, plans were put into action to build a new modern iron and steel plant at South Gare, Redcar which saw the opening of Britain’s largest ironmaking complex on 12 October 1979; the furnace being lit with fire from Clay Lane’s BF No 1.

In 1988, Britain’s iron and steel industry was once again privatised, and the Teesside complex became part of privatised British Steel. In 1999, British Steel merged with Dutch steelmaker, Koninklijke Hoogovens to form the Corus Group. Corus was sold to Tata Steel of India in 2007 but

retained the Corus name and logo on Teesside until September 2010. With suffi cient steel capacity supplied by Port Talbot and Scunthorpe works, the Redcar complex sought to supply steel to external customers. However, a 10-year agreement with Marcegaglia of Italy ended prematurely and, with no alternative demand, the furnace was blown out in December 2009 and mothballed. A short reprieve occurred in 2011 when the Thai Steel company, Sahaviriya Steel Industries (SSI) bought the iron and steel works to supply slab to its rolling mill in Thailand. Modernisation of the furnace was completed and it was re-lit in April 2012. In 2015 SSI UK went into liquidation and the furnace was blown out once again, never to be reprieved.

A heritage task force was established to document the 170-year history of iron and steel on Teesside with the aim of recording the cultural and economic industrial heritage of the area. From a public response of just 200 people, of which only one third commented on the blast furnace, just over half called for its demolition. Consequently, the task force recommendation was not to preserve the furnace as a public attraction but rather to retain various artifacts from it to be put on display near the entrance to the site and also to enhance existing nearby industrial heritage resources including the ‘Steel Stories’ exhibition at Kirkleatham Museum, Teesside Archives British Steel Collection and the Cleveland Ironstone Mining Museum in Skinningrove, which has undergone capital development.

They did recommend considering preservation of the Dorman Long Tower, originally a coal bunker, and fi nding a new use for it. However, this was demolished in September 2021.

Sadly the destruction of the UK’s 20th century heritage is all too common and contrasts with that found elsewhere. Only the Magna Science Adventure Centre in Rotherham, the former Templeborough open hearth steel shop, later converted to electric arc steelmaking, has been preserved. Here, one of the electric arc furnaces has been retained, its light and sound reproduced periodically.

In Europe, the European Route of Industrial Heritage (ERIH) lists numerous preserved sites country by country. If one selects the ‘Iron & Steel’ fi lter details of iron related sites, including those with preserved furnaces, are revealed: https:// www.erih.net/. Germany is particularly rich in sites including one of two blast furnaces at Neunkirchen decommissioned in 1982. This was the fi rst blast furnace worldwide to be actively refurbished for the purpose of opening to the public. More recently, BF No 5 of Thyssen Krupp, Duisburg has been preserved in-situ within what is now the Duisburg Landscape Park. Further afi eld, we have the Carrie Furnaces in Homestead, Pennsylvania USA (decommissioned in 1978) open for special occasions and in Japan, the Yahata Steel Works in Yahatahigashi-ku, Kitakyushu, decommissioned in 1972.

In addition to becoming the UK’s largest Freeport, the site is already earmarked for the Net Zero Teesside Power carbon capture, utilisation and storage, power plant, and GE Renewable Energy’s mammoth wind turbine blade manufacturing facility. Development of the site will be Europe’s largest brownfi eld undertaking, planned to create 18,000 jobs over the next fi ve years. �

1) Demolition videos https://news.sky.com/video/teessidesiconic-redcar-steelworks-blast-furnacedemolished-12754292 (Source: Sky News) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ mmxJtvStWo (Source: Thompsons of Prudhoe) https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=8zZ02VSwyc8 (Source: Fat Egg Media) 2) Teesworks Heritage Task Force https://www.teesworks.co.uk/about/ teesworks-heritage-task-force 3) Kirkleatham Museum Steel Stories https://redcarcleveland.co.uk/enjoy/steelstories-2/ 4) Cleveland Ironstone Mining Museum https://landofi ron.org.uk/ 5) Teesside Archives British Steel Collection https://teessidearchives.wordpress.com/ tag/british-steel/

The Redcar 14m hearth diameter blast furnace had a working volume of 4246m3 a PCI rate of 240kg/t and reached an output of 11kt/day of iron (Picture copyright J Aylen)