Principles of hydrogen metallurgy:thermodynamic mechanisms of iron reduction by carbon and hydrogen
LIU Shuai
LI Bin
GUO Hanjie
Abstract：Driven by global carbon neutrality goals,the steel industry urgently requires low-carbon metallurgical innovations.This work constructs a theoretical model for carbon reduction and carbon-hydrogen co-reduction of iron oxides based on the thermodynamic principle of minimum free energy,quantitatively analyzing reductant consumption,energy demand,and carbon emission limits.Results indicate that hydrogen-based reduction requires 53.7 kg H2 and 878.4 MJ of heat per ton of iron,with emissions solely as H2 O,reducing carbon emission intensity by 97%and energy consumption by 80.6%compared to traditional carbon reduction.Carbon-hydrogen co-reduction lowers carbon consumption by 20%～40%,with hydrogen exhibiting 30%～50%higher efficiency than CO at elevated temperatures(>810℃).Hydrogen utilization increases by 8%～12%per 100℃temperature rise.Synergistic carbon(CO2-C gasification)and hydrogen(H2 O-C reaction)cycles at>1 000℃and a C/CO2 molar ratio>1.5 achieve99%equilibrium conversion,enabling additional CO2 reduction of 0.3～0.5 t/t Fe.Optimized pathways for hydrogen-enriched blast furnace processes(20%～30%H2)and integrated gas recycling demonstrate a comprehensive emission reduction potential of 30%～40%.This research provides critical theoretical foundations for industrializing hydrogen metallurgy and advancing low-carbon steel production.
Keywords：hydrogen metallurgycarbon-hydrogen synergyminimum free energycarbon emissionscyclic mechanisms
Publication Date：2025-01-20
Online Publishing Date：2025-08-15(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：11( 1-11 )