Ammonia (NH3) is an excellent hydrogen (H2) carrier and a practically effective means of exporting Australia’s rich renewable energy resources. Ammonia (NH3) may also be used as a carbon-free reductant of iron ore for the production of iron. This project seeks to research and develop the use of ammonia (NH3) as a reliable renewable reductant for direct raw iron making from selected Western Australian iron ores. The scientific research will reveal the mechanisms of direct NH3 reduction of iron ores and establish reaction kinetics for reactor design using both laboratory fixed-bed reactor and kinetic modelling techniques. The technical development will focus on the establishment of a laboratory-scale pilot reactor for the operating condition optimisation and performance evaluation through both experimentation and CFD reactor modelling.
The project outputs will include new technologies to be developed and demonstrated at laboratory and pilot scales, scientific knowledge to be published in scholarly journals and science-based advice to government, business and industry for informed decision-making and strategic planning. The project will also build an enduring partnership and research collaboration between Australia and China in hydrogen energy and other renewable energy areas.
Partners: Angang Steel Co. Ltd, Environmental Clean Technologies Limited, University of Science and Technology Liaoning (USTL), The University of Western Australia
Project Researchers: Professor Dongke Zhang, Dr Zhezi Zhang, Dr Mingming Zhu, Dr Isabelle Jones
Duration: 4 years