NextChem & Acciaierie d'Italia Agree to Decarbonize Taranto Steel Plant

Maire Tecnimont S.p.A.’s subsidiary NextChem and Acciaierie d'Italia, Italy’s largest steel company, jointly owned by Arcelor Mittal and Invitalia, have reached an agreement for a feasibility study to use circular gas (syngas) in the Taranto steel mill. This circular gas is obtained thanks to NextChem's Waste-to-Chemical technology, which is based on the recovery of carbon and hydrogen included in plastic and dry waste through a partial oxidation process.

NextChem's technology makes it possible to obtain a circular gas that can be used both in refining processes and in the steel production cycle – replacing coal dust in the blast furnace or natural gas in direct reduction – resulting in a decrease of CO2 emissions. The feasibility study will focus on the environmental benefits of using circular gas in the steel mill, as well as of maximizing the steel mill tail gas.

Both solutions could contribute to significantly reducing the environmental impact of the steel production cycle.

Pierroberto Folgiero, CEO of Maire Tecnimont Group and NextChem, commented: "We are proud to collaborate with Acciaierie d'Italia in the development of a project that can offer a concrete solution for the decarbonization of the steel processing cycle and production. NextChem's Waste-to-Chemical technology, which is worksite-ready, can make a strong contribution to the green reconversion of traditional industrial sites".

Lucia Morselli, Chief Executive of Acciaierie d’Italia, said: “Contributing to the energy transition is exactly the responsibility of every company.

NextChem's circular gas technology is of great interest to Acciaierie d'Italia because, once verified, it goes in the direction of decarbonizing our plants”.