China’s CISRI has shipped the first consignment of pure hydrogen DRI for the automotive industry
The automotive sector has been chosen as the main market due to the willingness to pay a premium for environmentally friendly products
The China Iron and Steel Research Institute (CISRI) has shipped its first commercial consignment of direct reduced iron (DRI) produced using 100% hydrogen. This was reported by Sepideh Feizabadi, a senior project control engineer in the metallurgy and mining sector.
A consignment weighing 360 tonnes, produced at the institute in Linyi (Shandong Province), is intended for the production of environmentally friendly ‘green’ steel for the automotive industry.
The products produced on the CISRI shaft furnace demonstration line have high purity levels:
- Degree of metallisation: over 96% (on average 96%–99.4%).
- Iron content: over 90%.
- Carbon content: less than 0.005%.
The technology involves the use of 100% hydrogen as a reducing agent, ensuring zero carbon emissions during the iron production stage. The briquettes will subsequently be remelted in an electric furnace for the production of automotive steel. This creates a complete production chain: from hydrogen-reduced iron to finished ‘green’ automotive steel.
The delivery confirmed that the technology is ready for industrial application on equipment manufactured entirely in China. The main customer will be a leading manufacturer of galvanised steel for the automotive industry.
To secure a supply of raw materials for production, CISRI is already constructing a large-scale complex in Sunyuan (Jilin Province) for the use of ‘green’ hydrogen in metallurgy, with a capacity of 1.2 million tonnes per year and a cost of 11.8 billion yuan. The first phase of the project (300,000 tonnes per year) broke ground in April 2025, and its completion is scheduled for October 2026.
The successful implementation of the project demonstrates the creation in China of a fully operational closed-loop system: from renewable energy and ‘green’ hydrogen to the final high-tech steel products.
As reported by GMK Center, the Australian ‘green’ steel industry requires massive investment and government support to realise its potential. Realising these ambitions will require investment of around $110 billion (170 billion Australian dollars) over the next 14 years.
