The genesis of iron smelting: from crystallisation to green smelting

Unofficial AI-generated summary based on the public title and abstract. Not an official translation.

🔬研究者:The paper offers a review of hydrogen production methods for direct iron reduction, relevant to researchers in low-carbon steelmaking.

🏢実務担当者:Steel industry practitioners may find insights on alternative hydrogen sources, though the Ukraine-specific context limits direct applicability.

🏛政策担当者:Policymakers in coal-dependent regions can consider the outlined technology pathways for green steel reconstruction.

THE GENESIS OF IRON SMELTING: FROM CRYSTALLISATION TO GREEN SMELTING © I.V. Shulga1 STATE ENTERPRISE „UKRAINIAN STATE RESEARCH INSTITUTE FOR CARBOCHEMISTRY (UKHIN)‟, 61023, Kharkiv, 7 Vesnina St., Ukraine I.O. Gubareva2 , E.I. Kotlyarov3 Research Centre for Industrial Problems of Development of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, 1a Inzhenernyi lane, Kharkiv, 61166, Ukrainе 1 Shulga Igor Volodymyrovych, Ph.D. in Technical Sciences, Associate Professor, Senior Researcher, Head of the Coke Department, ORCID: 0009-0007-8677-9180, Scopus ID: 59473856500, e-mail: [email protected] 2 Gubareva Iryna Olegivna, Doctor of Economics, Professor, Deputy Director for Research, ORCID: 0000-0002-9002- 5564, Scopus ID: 57190439486, [email protected] 3 Kotlyarov Yevgen Ivanovich, Ph.D. in Economic Sciences, Associate Professor, Head of the Economic Security and Energy Conservation Sector, ORCID: 0000-0002-6366-6729, Scopus ID: 6701345149, e-mail: [email protected] The post-war reconstruction of the metallurgical industry must be based on new technical foundations, taking into account contemporary technological, environmental and economic challenges. Consequently, blast furnace production, the production of coke for its needs, and the smelting of steel in converters and, in particular, open-hearth furnaces are now obsolete, necessitating the introduction of more modern technologies. In view of this, considerable attention is being paid to methods of direct iron reduction using generator gas and the production of metal products with specified properties through the processing of directly reduced iron, primarily using electrometallurgical technologies. Coke-chemical production will retain its importance as a source of solid-phase reducing agents for the production of ferroalloys, which are necessary for the production of alloy steels. At the same time, there is the challenge of producing hydrogen on an industrial scale as the most efficient reducing agent for metals from ores; its use would significantly (by a factor of several dozen) reduce the carbon footprint of metallurgical production and the amount of greenhouse gas emissions released into the atmosphere. Currently, the main industrial source of hydrogen is the steam reforming of natural gas methane, which is unacceptable for Ukraine, whose industry meets its needs almost entirely through expensive imported natural gas. Coke oven gas, which contains about 60% hydrogen by volume, cannot be considered a viable source either, due to the decline in coke production and the lack of significant spare coke oven gas resources, which are, moreover, scattered across various enterprises. This necessitates the development of new technologies for hydrogen production. The effectiveness of this approach has been demonstrated by us in previous studies on the production of synthetic liquid motor fuels from coal. Keywords: coal; gasification; hydrogen; blast furnace production; indirect iron reduction; direct iron reduction; coke-chemical production. Corresponding author I.V. Shulga, e-mail: [email protected] Manuscript received 2026/01/18 Accepted for publication 2026/03/30 Published 2026/04/17 How to Cite: 1. Shulgha I.V. Henezys metalurhii zaliza: vid krytsi do zelenoi metalurhii / I.V., Shulga I.O. Hubarieva, Ye.I. Kotliarov // Vuhlekhimichnyi zhurnal. – 2026. – № 1. – S. 24-31. https://doi.org/10.31081/1681-309X-2026-0-1-24-31 2. Shulga, I. V., Hubarieva, I. O., & Kotliarov, Ye. I. (2026). Henezys metalurhii zaliza: vid krytsi do zelenoi metalurhii. Vuhlekhimichnyi Zhurnal, (1), 24–31. https://doi.org/10.31081/1681-309X-2026-0-1-24-31 How to obtain the full text of the article: - within 2 years from the date of publication – upon request by e-mail: [email protected] - after 2 years from the date of publication – free access in the database ―Scientific Periodicals of Ukraine‖ of the Vernadsky National Library of Ukraine by the link: http://www.irbis-nbuv.gov.ua/cgibin/irbis_nbuv/cgiirbis_64.exe?Z21ID=&I21DBN=UJRN&P21DBN=UJRN&S21STN=1&S21REF=10&S21FMT=juu_all&C21COM=S&S21CNR=20&S21P01=0&S21P02=0&S21P03=PREF=&S21COLORTERMS=0&S21STR=ukhj This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ References 1. Korohodska A.M. Zahalna khimiia / A.M. Korohodska, I.V. Asieieva, V.I. Bulavin [ta in.]. – Kharkiv: NTU «KhPI», 2025. – 407 s. / [Elektronnyi resurs]. – Rezhym dostupu: https://repository.kpi.kharkov.ua/handle/KhPI-Press/91083 2. Shulha I.V. 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Rudy zaliza / [Elektronnyi resurs]. – Rezhym dostupu: https://eiti.gov.ua/resursi-rozvidka-ta-vidobuvannya/rudi-zaliza_2022/ ______________________________________ This article was prepared as part of the ‗Comprehensive scientific study to substantiate the directions for the development of low-carbon iron metallurgy in the context of the circular economy‘, which is being carried out using public funds allocated to enable state research institutions to conduct scientific research and scientific and technical (experimental) development in accordance with the results of state certification.

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