Corrects figure for the amount of hydrogen needed by Fortescue to produce iron in paragraph 4
UK-Australian iron ore producer Rio Tinto will invest A$35mn ($23mn) into Australian technology developer Calix to help it build a 30,000 t/yr hydrogen-based direct reduction iron and hot briquetted iron demonstration plant in Kwinana.
Rio Tinto's investment package includes A$8mn in cash, 10,000t of Pilbara iron ore, and other in-kind support, Calix said on 17 November. Rio Tinto will be able to market and use Calix's developing technology, on a non-exclusive basis, under the deal, the iron ore producer said.
Rio Tinto's Pilbara ore will support early work at the demonstration plant. But Calix will use a range of ore grades and types at the site, including lower-grade fines. Lower-emissions iron projects generally use higher-grade magnetite ore.
Calix's Zero Emissions Steel Technology (Zesty) process uses 54kg of hydrogen to produce 1t of iron, the company said on 23 July. Australian producer Fortescue expects to use 51kg of hydrogen to make 1t of iron.
Calix plans to open its Zesty demonstration plant in 2028. The Australian Renewable Energy Agency awarded Calix a A$45mn grant to support the project in July.
Calix will build the plant on the proposed site of Rio Tinto's BioIron pilot plant. Rio Tinto has planned to produce 1 t/hr of iron using biomass and iron ore at the site. But the company is still working on BioIron's final design, it said today.
Rio Tinto has not announced a timeline for its BioIron project.
Rio Tinto is also working on other low-emission iron projects. It is part of the NeoSmelt consortium — made up of five major metals and energy producers — that is developing a 30,000-40,000 t/yr direct reduction iron plant. NeoSmelt may further process iron produced by Calix, Rio Tinto said.
