FReSMe

Steel production accounts for 6-8% of the global emissions. Primary steel production is a highly efficient process but between 1.6 and 2 tons of CO2 are emitted per ton of steel produced. The European Commission has targeted the steel sector as one of its key priorities for technology research and innovation with the aim of developing efficient and decarbonised industrial processes.

To address this challenge, the EU-funded FReSMe project has developed a scalable and competitive Carbon Capture and Utilisation (CCU) technology that enables the CO2 captured from the steel industry to produce methanol fuel that can be used as marine fuel.

FReSMe integrates technology developed in two previous EU funded projects: STEPWISE, that was focused on the CO2 capture, and MefCO2, that improved the technology to produce methanol from CO2. FReSMe successfully achieved its three key objectives: (1) the optimisation of the technologies involved, (2) their integration in a pilot plant and (3) the end use demonstration of methanol as marine fuel.

The FReSMe pilot plant built in Lulea (Sweden) treated up to 800 m3/h of blast furnace gas to produce up to 50 kg/h of methanol. While demonstrating all the essential process steps in an industry relevant environment, the project advanced the technology’s technical readiness to level 6. The recycled methanol produced in the project was demonstrated to be suitable for use as marine fuel for ship transportation and a Stena Germanica ferry sailed from Gothenburg to Kiel on June 22 using the recycled methanol fuel produced by FReSMe.

See the EU factsheet  for more information.