28.11.2017 Corporate,Sustainability

Höganäs and Cortus Energy break ground for lower carbon dioxide emissions

Today, Tuesday 28 November, Fredrik Emilson, Höganäs AB CEO, and Rolf Ljunggren, Cortus Energy AB CEO, broke new ground for Sweden’s and the world’s first plant for renewable energy gas and green coke. The goal is to transform biomass into renewable energy, which can be used in the iron and steel industry. For Höganäs, carbon dioxide emissions can decrease with around 10,000 tonnes per year.

The hunt for renewable alternatives to fossil fuels and raw materials that both decrease carbon dioxide emissions and work in iron and steel production has been on for a long time. The industry’s climate impact is directly related to the core process and today’s working solutions are fossil – coal, oil and natural gas.

But now there is a new solution within reach. The industry and academy have joined forces in project Probiostål to investigate the possibilities to produce renewable energy with the help of Cortus Energy and their technology. “For Höganäs, this is a part of our long-term strategy to go from fossil fuels to renewable energy. To succeed we must get engaged, pitch in resources and take the lead in exploring new opportunities,” says Nicklas Lång, Senior Vice President Sustainability at Höganäs.

Biomass for demanding industry processes

With Cortus Energy’s technology, biomass is gasified into energy gas and green coke, both of which are energy sources that can be used in Höganäs’ metal powder production. The first industrial plant with Cortus’ technology, which is now being built on Höganäs’ industrial compound, will be connected to one of the furnaces in production and will be tested under real conditions.

“We are very happy to build WoodRoll® in industrial scale together with Höganäs AB and we look forward to verifying the good results shown in previous tests,” says Rolf Ljunggren, CEO Cortus Energy. “The plant in Höganäs will be a milestone for our company and a platform from which to offer WoodRoll® as a solution in the necessary transformation from fossil to renewable energy, not only within the industry, but in many other areas.”

The plant will start up during the first half of 2018 and then be tested in Höganäs’ production. If the tests show positive results, Cortus Energy will start regular deliveries of renewable energy products during 2019. This would then be the break-through for gasification of biomass to generate renewable energy for demanding industrial processes in Sweden.

Facts: Probiostål

The project Probiostål started in 2014 with a pre-study where both the academia and the industry participated. The purpose was to investigate the possibility of producing renewable energy in commercial scale for use in Höganäs' metal powder production.

The financing of the project is supported by Klimatklivet and Energimyndigheten, Höganäs AB, industrial partners’ donation of resources, banks and own capital. Cortus is the principal of the project. Apart from Höganäs and Cortus Energy the following companies are also part of the project: ABB, Calderys, SSAB, Sveaskog, Södra and Outokumpu.

About Cortus Energy and WoodRoll®

Cortus Energy (Publ) develops and sells the WoodRoll® technology, which gasifies biomass in a new and innovative way. This results in a number of benefits compared to other technologies for gasifying. WoodRoll® is flexible in terms of fuel, which means that the process can use low-value renewable fuel without compromising with performance. The renewable energy gas can replace fossil fuels in industrial processes. You can also choose to take out a part of the material as bio coke, or green coke, which could be used within metallurgy. The starting point is that biomass is gasified to clean, high-value renewable energy products for the process industry. Tests with WoodRoll at the pilot plant in Köping have shown positive results.

News & media contact

Emma Lefdal
VP Corporate Communications