Name of the Project
BioIron Research and Development Facility.

Location
Rockingham Strategic Industrial Area, south of Perth, in Western Australia.

Project Owner/s
Richards Bay Minerals (RBM).

Project Description
Rio Tinto plans to develop a research and development facility to further assess the effectiveness of its low-carbon BioIron ironmaking process to support the decarbonisation of the global steel value chain. The process uses raw biomass and microwave energy instead of coal to convert Pilbara iron-ore to metallic iron in the steelmaking process.

When combined with renewable energy and carbon-circulation through fast-growing biomass, BioIron has the potential to reduce carbon emissions by up to 95%, compared with the current blast furnace method. The development of the facility follows the successful trials of the innovative ironmaking process at a small-scale pilot plant in Germany.

The facility will include a pilot plant that will be ten times larger than its predecessor in Germany. It will also be the first time the innovative steelmaking process has been tested on a semi-industrial scale, capable of producing one tonne of direct reduced iron an hour. It will provide the required data to assess further scaling of the technology to a larger demonstration plant.

Potential Job Creation
These works are expected to support up to 60 construction jobs.

The research and development facility will employ about 30 full-time employees and include space for equipment testing to support further scaling up of the BioIron technology, while developing a workforce highly skilled in steel decarbonisation and supporting Western Australian universities and research organisations.

Net Present Value/Internal Rate of Return
Not stated.

Capital Expenditure
$143-million.

Planned Start/End Date
Fabrication of the equipment will start in 2024, with commissioning expected in 2026.

Latest Developments
None stated.

Key Contracts, Suppliers and Consultants
University of Nottingham; Metso Corporation; and Sedgman Onyx (plant design).

Contact Details for Project Information
Rio Tinto (Australia), tel +61 3 9283 3333 or email media.enquiries@riotinto.com.