The Research and Development Centre for Iron and Steel (RDCIS), Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL), and the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur today inked an Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) at Ispat bhawan, Ranchi to collaborate on the development of an innovative Hydrogen based Direct Reduction Iron-making (DRI) unit.
The MoA titled “A laboratory & pilot scale set up to optimize the process parameters for producing DRI with varying Hydrogen and Carbon Monoxide ratio along with 3D Multiphysics modelling of DRI shaft reactor’†was signed by Mahadeo Roy, GM (Blast Furnace) from RDCIS and Prof. SB Singh, Dept. of Metallurgical & Materials Engineering from IIT Kharagpur. This marked the beginning of a significant partnership aimed at advancing sustainable steel production technologies. The collaboration will focus on harnessing hydrogen as a cleaner alternative to traditional carbon-based reduction methods, thus contributing to the reduction of carbon emissions in the steelmaking industry.
Under this agreement, RDCIS and IIT Kharagpur will jointly explore and develop the necessary technologies and processes to set up a pilot-scale Hydrogen based DRI unit at RDCIS and a laboratory scale unit at IIT. This project is a Ministry of Steel assisted project of IIT Kharagpur with SAIL-RDCIS as its industry partner, which is expected to lead to breakthroughs in reducing the environmental footprint of steel production, a critical step toward achieving the steel industry's sustainability goals in line with global climate change targets.
Speaking on the occasion, Sandip Kumar Kar, Executive Director (RDCIS), expressed confidence that the successful implementation of the Hydrogen based DRI unit with IIT Kharagpur would represent a significant milestone in the steel industry’s journey towards reducing its carbon emissions, promoting clean energy, and creating a more sustainable future. Prof Manas Palliwal from IIT Kharagpur and senior officials of RDCIS were also present on the occasion.
