Being in line with the EU Green Deal objectives regarding the support of clean steel breakthrough technologies, sustainability and to protect workers along the process chain, HBI C-Flex demonstrates the direct reduction of iron ore using various qualities (including lower-grade ores being typically not used for direct reduction) followed by hot briquetting. Flexible carbon contents will be reached also including zero-carbon products. This generates important knowledge beyond state-of-the-art, establishing the EU steel sector as an international leader for low-carbon materials. Hot briquetted iron (HBI), as well as direct reduced iron (DRI) will be subject of reoxidation trials under changing ambient conditions (dry and wet atmosphere, enhanced temperature) to quantify exothermic reactions during onsite storage, rail and maritime transportation. Mineralogical, mechanical and metallurgical analyses of the DRI/HBI before and after reoxidation will be performed. The International Maritime Solid Bulk Cargoes (IMSBC) Code, representing an important regulation for safe international maritime transport of iron products is another basis of the HBI C-Flex project, apart from RFCS and EU policy initiatives. HBI C-Flex will extend the IMSBC Code to cover zero-carbon HBI and will define strategies for safe handling and onsite storage.

HBI C-Flex will contribute to new, sustainable and low-carbon steelmaking materials, being an important goal of the RFCS programme. The excellent consortium comprises a mix of steel producers, technology providers, RTOs and universities with outstanding know-how in ironmaking. A Supportive Advisory Board led by the International Iron Metallics Association comprises among others ESTEP and worldsteel. Both organisations are aware of the importance of this project and the necessity that the topic of handling zero-carbon HBI must now be investigated to facilitate the EU’s push forward towards a modern, resource-efficient and competitive economy.