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A novel gas‐solid suspension ironmaking process is under development at the University of Utah, which would greatly reduce energy consumption and carbon dioxide emission compared with current blast furnace technology. The proposed process is based on the flash reduction of iron ore concentrate using a gaseous reagent, such as hydrogen, syngas, natural gas or a combination of thereof. A process flow sheet of the proposed ironmaking process using purchased hydrogen was constructed and then simulations were performed at several potential operating conditions. Ironmaking was simulated using two different process configurations. The simulation results show that the required fresh hydrogen would increase with higher excess driving force and operating temperature, but not greatly when hydrogen is preheated. Compared with the average blast furnace process, the proposed process would reduce energy consumption by 57 ‐ 60%, using the higher heating value of hydrogen (71 – 73%, if the lower heating value is used), when hydrogen and coal are considered as the starting materials in the respective processes. The economic feasibility analysis using net present value (NPV) indicates that the proposed process could be economically feasible at elevated hot metal prices and/or if reduction in carbon dioxide emissions has a significant value in a cap and trade scenario.

A novel gas-solid suspension ironmaking process with much less energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions than the current blast furnace technology is under development at the University of Utah. The proposed process is based on flash reduction of iron ore concentrate with a gaseous reagent, such as hydrogen, syngas and/or natural gas. This series of papers reports on the results of process simulation for the proposed process operated with natural gas. This Part 1 deals with simulation of a commercial scale reformerless ironmaking process with heat recovery and hydrogen recycling steps. Ironmaking was simulated in one-step and two-step process configurations. The results indicated that the proposed process would, depending on the process configuration, reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 39-51% and energy consumption by 32-44% compared with the average blast furnace process (61-66% if the lower heating value of natural gas is used). The sensitivity of the energy requirement to operating conditions was also examined.

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The global transition to a low-carbon economy will involve changes in material markets and supply chains on a hitherto unknown scale and scope. With these changes come numerous challenges and opportunities related to supply chain security and sustainability. To help support decision-making as well as future research, this study employs a problem-oriented perspective while reviewing academic publications, technical reports, legal documents, and published industry data to highlight the increasingly interconnected nature of material needs and geopolitical change. The paper considers a broad set of issues including technologies, material supplies, investment strategies, communal concerns, innovations, modeling considerations, and policy trends to help contextualize policy decisions and regulatory responses. Policy options are outlined for each topical section, as well as areas for further research. Together, these recommendations serve to help guide the complex, interdisciplinary approach to materials required for a low-carbon transition.

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A novel gas-solid suspension ironmaking process with much less energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions than the current blast furnace technology is under development at the University of Utah. The proposed process is based on flash reduction of iron ore concentrate with a gaseous reagent, such as hydrogen, syngas and/or natural gas. This Part 3 deals with economic feasibility analysis of a commercial scale novel ironmaking process based on natural gas, the flowsheet and process simulation of which are described in Parts 1 and 2. To evaluate economic feasibility, the net present value for 15 year operation was calculated for each process, using capital and operating costs estimated from available open references. The sensitivity of the estimated net present value to the variation in item costs was also analysed.

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