China’s steel industry, already the largest in the world, is on the verge of a major technological breakthrough that could reshape the global steel manufacturing sector. After more than a decade of intensive research and development, Chinese engineers have introduced a revolutionary ironmaking technology known as flash ironmaking, which promises to radically reduce the time, energy consumption, and environmental impact of steel production. The new method involves injecting finely ground iron ore powder into an extremely hot furnace, which triggers an explosive chemical reaction. This results in liquid iron droplets that collect at the bottom of the furnace and form a high-purity iron stream, which can be directly used in casting or steelmaking.
The significance of this new technology is immense, as it drastically reduces the time required to produce iron. Traditional ironmaking methods, which rely on blast furnaces, take several hours, typically between five to six hours, to produce molten iron. However, flash ironmaking cuts this process down to just three to six seconds. This acceleration represents a 3,600-fold increase in the speed of iron production, which could have transformative implications not only for China's steel industry but for the entire global manufacturing ecosystem. This technology has been developed by a team led by Professor Zhang Wenhai, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, who is also known for his previous pioneering work in copper smelting.
One of the major advantages of flash ironmaking is its efficiency. Traditional iron production relies heavily on high-yield ores, which are often imported from countries like Australia, Brazil, and various African nations. These ores are expensive and require large amounts of energy for processing. In contrast, the flash ironmaking method works effectively with low or medium-yield ores, which are abundant within China. This could drastically reduce China’s reliance on expensive ore imports, lowering costs and increasing the nation’s self-sufficiency in iron production. According to calculations from Zhang's team, the new process could improve energy efficiency in China’s steel sector by more than 33%, which could significantly lower production costs while also reducing the sector’s carbon footprint.
Flash ironmaking also holds promise for achieving one of the steel industry’s most critical goals: near-zero carbon dioxide emissions. Traditional blast furnaces rely heavily on coke, a form of coal, to provide the carbon needed to reduce iron ore to iron. This process results in significant carbon emissions, contributing to the global climate crisis. However, flash ironmaking eliminates the need for coke entirely, creating a cleaner, more sustainable method of iron production. This aligns with China’s ambitious carbon neutrality goal by 2060, and the method could play a key role in the country’s efforts to decarbonize its economy.
At the heart of flash ironmaking’s innovation is the ore-spraying lance, a device that injects finely ground iron ore into a high-temperature, high-reducibility furnace. This lance is crucial because it ensures the ore particles are evenly dispersed, triggering the explosive chemical reaction that produces molten iron. The vortex lance developed by Zhang’s team can inject up to 450 metric tons of iron ore per hour, a highly efficient rate that ensures continuous production of molten iron. The reactors in which this process occurs are equipped with multiple lances, and, according to the team’s findings, three lances working together can produce 7.11 million metric tons of iron annually, which is an impressive capacity for commercial-scale iron production.
The development of the flash ironmaking process has not been an easy feat. One of the primary challenges faced by Zhang’s team was designing a lance capable of maintaining consistent performance under the extreme conditions required for flash ironmaking. The temperature in the furnace must be high enough to ensure a reductive environment for the chemical reaction, while also maintaining uniform ore distribution to maximize the efficiency of the process. The team’s innovation of the vortex lance, which ensures that the iron ore particles are sprayed evenly over a large area, has been a key factor in making this process work at an industrial scale. The reactor design itself has already undergone commercial testing and is showing promising results, signaling that the technology is ready for large-scale deployment.
Professor Zhang’s work with flash ironmaking is not his first breakthrough. His expertise in smelting technology dates back to the 1970s, when he pioneered flash smelting technology for large-scale copper production. This technology revolutionized the way copper was extracted and refined, earning Zhang several prestigious awards, including the National Science and Technology Progress Award in 2000. His work laid the foundation for China's current dominance in global copper production, with China accounting for nearly 60% of the world’s copper consumption. Now, Zhang and his team are applying the same principles of flash smelting to the steel industry, hoping to replicate the same success.
The breakthrough in flash ironmaking has already undergone extensive laboratory and pilot tests, which have proven its feasibility. In China, the success rate of technologies that undergo pilot tests is very high, with more than 80% of such innovations successfully scaling to commercial production. Zhang’s team, in collaboration with several Chinese steel producers, has made the technology ready for large-scale application. The reactors equipped with vortex lances are already in commercial production, which means that flash ironmaking could soon be rolled out on a wider scale across China’s vast steel industry.
The potential for flash ironmaking to reshape the steel industry is enormous. As one of the largest producers of steel in the world, China has a significant impact on global steel prices and production methods. Historically, China’s iron and steel production dates back to ancient times, with historical records indicating that as early as the Song dynasty (11th century), China was producing more iron than Europe. In fact, during that period, China’s production of iron is estimated to have reached 150,000 metric tons per year, a level not achieved in Europe until the Industrial Revolution centuries later. With the advent of flash ironmaking, China could once again lead the world in iron production, but this time with a focus on sustainability and environmental responsibility.
This breakthrough aligns perfectly with global efforts to reduce industrial carbon emissions and combat climate change. Flash ironmaking could be the key to making the steel industry more sustainable while still meeting the growing demand for steel. As China continues to develop and refine this technology, the potential for its global adoption grows. Other countries and steel manufacturers may soon look to implement flash ironmaking as a way to reduce costs and emissions, making it a pivotal moment for the future of steel production worldwide.
