Rio Tinto and China Baowu have successfully completed industrial-scale pelletization and direct reduction trials in China using Pilbara Blend iron ore. The trials were conducted as part of the companies’ decarbonization partnership and aimed to assess the suitability of Pilbara ore for hydrogen-based direct reduction processes.
At Baoshan Iron & Steel’s Zhanjiang Steel operations, a hydrogen-based shaft furnace was used to produce direct reduced iron (DRI) from pellets containing approximately one-third Pilbara Blend ore. The resulting DRI was subsequently converted into steel using an industrial-scale basic oxygen furnace and was also tested in a small-scale electric smelting furnace.
According to the companies, the trials confirmed that mid-grade iron ore from Western Australia’s Pilbara region can serve as feedstock for hydrogen-based direct reduction. The results mark an important step toward developing lower-carbon steelmaking technologies and reducing emissions across the steel value chain.