Iron Ore Briquette Technology (Green Steel)
Geography: Americas · South America · Brazil
After 20 years of R&D, Vale developed a process to agglomerate iron ore fines at low temperatures using proprietary binders, creating briquettes with high mechanical strength. The world's first iron ore briquette plant opened in Vitória, Espírito Santo.
Traditional pelletization requires high-temperature sintering (over 1,200°C), consuming natural gas and emitting CO2. Briquetting at low temperatures significantly reduces emissions. Vale's briquette is also designed for direct reduction (DR) processes, which use hydrogen or natural gas instead of coal — the cleanest route to primary steel.
The steel industry accounts for roughly 7% of global CO2 emissions. If Vale's briquette technology enables widespread adoption of hydrogen-based direct reduction, it could be one of the most impactful decarbonization technologies globally. Vale is positioning Brazil as a supplier of green steel feedstock, not just raw iron ore.
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