In Belgium, ArcelorMittal announced the first industrial production of ethanol at its Steelanol plant.
This milestone was achieved on 7 November 2023, at ArcelorMittal Belgium’s Gent plant. The first industrial-scale production is a significant step in the journey to the full commissioning of the Steelanol plant. Throughout the project, ArcelorMittal has worked with its partners LanzaTech, Primetals Technologies and E4Tech.
The Steelanol plant captures carbon-rich industrial gases from steel production at ArcelorMittal Gent, and biologically converts them into ethanol using LanzaTech’s carbon biorecycling process.
The plant was officially inaugurated in December 2022, followed by cold commissioning. Afterwards, the biocatalyst was introduced into the plant to start the growth of the microorganisms and verify the production of new molecules. In June 2023, the first samples containing ethanol were produced in the inoculator, said ArcelorMittal.
The ethanol produced in Gent can be used as a building block for a variety of products, including sustainable transport fuels, packaging materials, clothing and even cosmetic perfumes, the firm added.
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