2005/02c

BACKGROUNDER

Canadian Participation in the International CO₂ Breakthrough Programme

Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) and the Canadian Steel Producers Association (CSPA) launched a joint research initiative to explore ways to develop new steelmaking technologies with few or no carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions. This initiative is part of the international CO₂  Breakthrough Programme organized by the International Iron and Steel Institute (IISI). The focus of the IISI's program is to examine technologies that radically minimize, eliminate or capture carbon emissions from the steel industry. In addition to Canada, research projects have been launched in Europe, Japan, Korea, North America, Australia and Brazil.

The CO₂ Breakthrough Programme engages the steel industry worldwide on a multi-phased, regionally diverse approach to achieve significant long-run reduction in CO₂ emissions. The program pools international resources and expertise and shares benefits with all participating members.

During the first phase of the IISI program, the feasibility of projects that might cost-effectively reduce CO₂ will be assessed. In subsequent phases, efforts will converge and focus on the most promising research. These will be further identified and pursued through pilot projects leading to demonstration projects. Commercialization of successful projects can be expected to take from 20 to 50 years.

The initial Canadian project will investigate and evaluate the potential for the use of bio-fuels in current and alternative iron-making processes. This project was approved by the Government of Canada's Climate Change Technology and Innovation Initiative. Future work could look at applications of biomass in alternative steelmaking, or at novel applications themselves. 

The Canadian research project was one of several explored at a CO₂ breakthrough workshop held in the spring of 2004 organized by the CSPA and NRCan's Large Final Emitters Group and CANMET Energy Technology Centre in Ottawa. Experts from industry, academia and government assessed various technologies, including biomass, for their applicability to metallurgical processes and their potential to reduce CO₂ emissions. The role that sequestration technologies could play was also discussed.

The production of steel is highly energy-intensive. A substantial portion of the CO₂ emissions in the Canadian steel sector result from the need to use carbon for the chemical process reactions that occur in producing iron. By replacing fossil carbons currently used with

renewable biomass or biofuels, significant CO₂ reductions would be achieved. However, the suitability and availability of biofuels for use in iron-making processes represents a radical departure that will require investigation. 

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