Industrial solutions company Harsco Corporation and clean energy technology company LanzaTech have signed a strategic alliance to promote the capture and reuse of steel mill flue gases as an environmentally friendly source of energy.
The two companies will develop plans to present the LanzaTech biotechnology system to Harsco’s major steel mill customers and explore potential business relationships for installing and operating commercial facilities at sites throughout the world.
New Zealand-based LanzaTech says it was the first company to successfully demonstrate production of fuel-grade ethanol from steel mill gases. The LanzaTech biotechnology system converts the waste gases emitted by blast furnace and coke oven operations into low cost, zero-carbon ethanol, the company says.
This process, LanzaTech says, significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions while also providing a commercially scalable alternative to traditional ethanol production and its reliance on agricultural crops.
The agreement with Harsco will now accelerate the introduction of this technology to steelmaking customers throughout the Americas, Europe and selected emerging markets, the companies say.
Picture credit: Takomabibelot