by Marta Nogueira
RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) – Vale has successfully tested on an industrial scale the replacement of part of the mineral coal used in the composition of its iron ore pellets by charcoal, or biochar, in an important step towards reducing emissions, they told the Reuters mining company officials.
In pellet production, coal is added to the product before being processed in the pelletizing plant.
In this first test carried out at the mining company’s pelletizing unit in São Luís (MA), Vale produced 57 thousand tons of pellets, with about 25% of the charcoal used in the composition of the product being of vegetable origin, allowing for a 10% reduction in pellets. emissions in the process.
“There was (on the market) a great fear of using charcoal; companies were afraid of impacting the quality (of the pellet). But we managed to break some taboos, we proved that it is feasible, that it can be done successfully”, said the executive manager of Pelletizing Engineering at Vale, Fabio Brandão.
Now, the company plans to move forward and work on the possibility of definitively replacing 100% of the fossil coal used in all of its 12 pellet plants (11 in Brazil and one in Oman), which would allow a 16% reduction in the total emissions of the company. company.
According to engineer Rodrigo Boyer, who led the initiative, another test will be carried out in São Luís this year with the objective of reaching at least 50% of the load made up of biochar.
“Our objective is, in 2022, to test the technical feasibility of further increasing the share of the use of biochar in the oven,” he said.
Tests with 100% of the load with biochar are planned for next year. Officials pointed out that there is still no definition and deadline for a definitive replacement of the fossil product in the composition of the pellets, but they said that the prospects are excellent.
CHALLENGES OVERCOME Boyer said that one of the project’s greatest challenges was finding a quality biochar supplier. The product used by Vale was supplied by a company in Minas Gerais, “which works with a premium, certified product, specific for steelmaking purposes”, he highlighted.
The engineer also said that Vale’s commitments to reduce emissions, in a world that has become increasingly demanding for initiatives in this regard, helped to compose the environment so that the replacement of coal was possible.
“This is the moment, we have to do it. This anthracite coal cannot remain in the pellet plant”, he stated.
Boyer also pointed out that around 80% of the fossil coal currently used in pellets comes from mines on the African continent and the rest from Peru, while biochar can be supplied by the Brazilian industry.
The project puts Vale steps forward in achieving its emission reduction targets, as pelletizing currently represents around 33% of the company’s greenhouse gas emissions, ahead of mining and rail transport.
The biochar test is part of the company’s portfolio of initiatives that contribute to the objective of reducing its direct and indirect carbon emissions by 33% by 2030, in line with the Paris Agreement, with the objective of zeroing its net carbon emissions by 2050 .
Vale plans to invest between 4 billion and 6 billion dollars to reduce emissions by 2030.
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