A percolating path to green iron
Subhechchha Paul (SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Stanford University)
Brinthan Kanesalingam (Stanford University, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory)
Yan Ma (Max Planck Institute for Sustainable Materials, TU Delft - Team Maria Santofimia Navarro)
Julie Villanova (European Synchrotron Radiation Facility)
Guillermo Requena (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR), RWTH Aachen University)
Stanley Chidubem Akpu (Nnamdi Azikiwe University)
Dierk Raabe (Max Planck Institute for Sustainable Materials)
Ilenia Battiato (Stanford University)
Leora Dresselhaus-Marais (SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Stanford University)
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Abstract
About 1.9 gigatons of steel is produced every year, emitting 8% (3.6 gigatons) of global CO2 in the process. More than 50% of the CO2 emissions come from a single step of steel production, known as ironmaking. Hydrogen-based direct reduction (HyDR) of iron oxide to iron has emerged as an emission-free ironmaking alternative. However, multiple physical and chemical phenomena ranging from nanometers to meters inside HyDR reactors alter the microstructure and pore networks in iron oxide pellets, in ways that resist gaseous transport of H2/H2O, slow reaction rates, and disrupt continuous reactor operation. Using synchrotron nano X-ray computed tomography and percolation theory, we quantify the evolution of pores in iron oxide pellets and demonstrate how nanoscale pore connectivity influences micro- and macroscale flow properties such as permeability, diffusivity, and tortuosity. Our modeling framework connects disparate scales and offers opportunities to accelerate HyDR.
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