GHENT, Belgium, February 15, 2022, /3BL Media/ - Rockwell Automation (NYSE: ROK) control technologies and expertise in plant design and engineering are part of Europe’s first full-scale facility to convert CO2 to ethanol for use as fuel in plastic production. The plant, currently in assembly in Ghent, Belgium for ArcelorMittal, represents an important step toward the circular use of carbon by recycling what was previously a harmful biproduct into a new bio-ethanol commodity called “Steelanol.”
ArcelorMittal is a global leader in the steelmaking sector with operations in 17 countries. By the time its Steelanol plant, which also uses technologies from sustainability company LanzaTech, reaches full production capacity in 2023, it’s expected to produce 64,000 metric tons of ethanol per year with no discharge to the environment.
“For as long as I’ve been with the company, sustainability has been an important priority,” said ArcelorMittal Chief Technology Officer Wim Van der Stricht. “The metal sector is at a turning point, and we aim to help set the standard for how steel production can be done in an environmentally sustainable way.”
“ArcelorMittal is continually exploring new methods for improving the sustainability of its operations, either directly through carbon reduction measures or indirectly through enhanced production efficiency,” added Rockwell’s Steffen Zendler, heavy industry strategy & marketing manager, EMEA.
Funding for the Ghent Steelanol plant was obtained from various sources, including the Flemish government and the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No 656437. ArcelorMittal plans to implement best practices at its other operations from the new plant.
Read more about the new ArcelorMittal Steelanol plant in this Rockwell customer case history.
Published February 15, 2022