GreenIron, a Swedish company focused on sustainable metals production, has partnered with ABB to implement automation and control system solutions at its first commercial facility in Sandviken. The facility will utilise GreenIron's patented hydrogen-based reduction technology for fossil-free metal production. The collaboration centres on the integration of ABB's distributed control system (DCS). This system will manage the industrial process, integrating control, safety, and power management. GreenIron aims to use the DCS to enhance plant visibility, enabling data-driven optimisation and decision-making.
GreenIron's technology produces sponge iron from residual materials and virgin ore, offering an alternative to traditional coal-based methods.
The company estimates that a single furnace using its process can reduce carbon emissions by approximately 56,000 tonnes annually, with water as the only byproduct.
"The collaboration with ABB is a crucial part of our scaling up and future growth as we commence commercial production," said Ulrika Molander, COO of GreenIron.
"ABB’s system will enable us to make informed decisions, stabilize operations at every stage, and analyze data for our continued journey."
Sustainability goals
"Together with GreenIron we’re working on fulfilling sustainability objectives that are demanded by the metals industry and wider society," said Martin Björnmalm, local business line manager for metals at ABB Process Industries Sweden.
"This is the type of project that underlines our actions in helping industries to outrun leaner and cleaner and also aligns with an innovative process developed by our customer over many years.”
With this order, we will work on supporting an impactful industrial solution, bringing our technologies that are entirely scalable for future expansion. Our people are also using their expertise from mining and metals to ensure productivity and efficiency through centralised control rooms, production scheduling, and cost and resource modelling.
Metal industry carbon contributions
The technologies from both companies are designed to be compatible with renewable energy sources, supporting the development of a low-carbon value chain in metal production.
The metals industry is a significant contributor to global CO2 emissions, accounting for approximately *% according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).
ABB's DCS, which has been used in process and energy industries for over 40 years, is intended to facilitate safe and efficient operations while providing data and analytics for real-time insights.
