Vow ASA, ArcelorMittal partner on ‘ground-breaking’ biogas project

Vow ASA, a specialist provider of decarbonisation technology and ArcelorMittal, a major steel and mining firm, have partnered to build a biogas plant in Luxembourg.

The two firms signed a strategic memorandum of understanding to build a biogas plant that will reduce CO₂ emissions produced during the steelmaking process.

Vow ASA’s subsidiary ETIA and ArcelorMittal Europe – Long Products, which produces sections, sheet piles, rails and quality wire road, will work together to build the first dedicated biogas plant for the steel industry. The project will use ETIA’s pyrolysis technology at ArcelorMittal Rodange in Luxembourg; the plant specialises in the production of grooved rails, supplying major rail projects around the world.

The two firms will cooperate on engineering, business models and financing, and aim to have the Rodange biogas plant operational in 2022.

The biogas will be made using Vow’s patented ‘Biogreen’ pyrolysis technology, which involves heating sustainable biomass at high temperatures. The gases emitted during this process are then captured and processed into biogas, which will directly replace the use of natural gas in the Rodange plant’s rolling mill reheating furnace. By-products such as bio-coal will also be created during the process, and re-used within ArcelorMittal, directly replacing coal.

“We are very pleased to be working with VOW ASA, combining our expertise as steelmakers with Vow and ETIA technology, to create this biogas plant for ArcelorMittal Rodange,” said Vincent Cholet, CTO of ArcelorMittal Europe – Long Products.

“We see significant potential in the use of biogas as a replacement for natural gas within ArcelorMittal Europe – Long Products’ facilities, and in helping us to achieve our ambition of being carbon-neutral by 2050.

“This technically challenging project is truly ground-breaking in its ability to create synthetic gas for industrial use from sustainable biomass.”

Henrik Badin, CEO of Vow ASA, commented: “We are very excited and committed to this cooperation, helping ArcelorMittal on its mission towards a CO₂-neutral future in steel production. We can see this as the beginning of a prosperous long-term collaboration.”