AWS is currently building three new data centres in Mälardalen, Sweden. To minimise carbon emissions from the steel used, the company is mainly using steel made from recycled scrap, which has lower carbon emissions than steel made in blast furnaces. However, since scrap is a limited resource, AWS has also teamed up with SSAB and Ruukki to secure pilot deliveries of virgin steel made with the unique HYBRIT technology.
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HYBRIT’s pilot-scale plant for the direct reduction of iron ore using 100% hydrogen. A production scale plant is now being built in Gällivare, Sweden.
“We are thrilled to welcome AWS as a new partner. By choosing steel made with HYBRIT technology, AWS shows it is possible to reduce the carbon footprint of data centre construction regardless of whether the steel is made from scrap or virgin iron ore,” says Thomas Hörnfeldt, VP for sustainable business at SSAB.
HYBRIT technology has been developed by SSAB together with iron ore company LKAB and energy company Vattenfall to replace the carbon-intensive blast/basic oxygen furnace (BOF) process for producing iron and steel. Instead of coking coal, HYBRIT technology uses hydrogen, produced by hydrolysing water using renewable energy from wind turbines, for example, to make sponge iron, which is then further processed into steel using an electric arc furnace (EAF).
The HYBRIT process emits water vapor instead of carbon dioxide and largely eliminates the CO2 emissions from the steelmaking process.
The process for manufacturing SSAB Zero™️ fossil-free steel begins with the production of iron ore pellets by heating iron ores such as magnetite using 100% renewable bio-oil. These enriched iron ore pellets are ideal for direct reduction and are primarily processed from high-grade magnetite ore. The pelletising process partially fuses the iron ore particles while retaining porosity.
These pellets are then fed into a direct reduction iron ore plant that uses pure hydrogen to remove oxygen from the iron oxides in the ore.
The products of this reduction reaction are metallic sponge iron and water vapour (H2O), making the process fossil-free in terms of emissions. Sponge iron can then be processed in electric arc furnaces to make steels.
In addition, HYBRIT plants use electrolysers for the production of the hydrogen needed for the reduction process. These use renewable energy and pure water to generate the green hydrogen needed to secure a carbon-free steel value chain.
Efficient use of raw materials and energy has been a key development focus for HYBRIT. Optimised practices have been established to ensure that the process is equal or better in terms of energy efficiency, resource utilisation and safety compared to traditional iron and steel industry standards.
“Reducing the embodied carbon associated with the construction of our data centres is a key priority for AWS as we work to achieve net-zero carbon across our operations by 2040. By partnering with innovative local companies such as SSAB and Ruukki, we are taking an important step to decarbonise the materials used in our data centres and set new standards for sustainable infrastructure. We are excited to be working with companies at the forefront of low-carbon virgin steel production,” says Kellen O’Connor, AWS managing director for Europe North.
Traditional steelmaking is responsible for about 7% of global CO2 emissions and around 10% of Sweden’s emissions, with both virgin and recycled steel production contributing to emissions. By changing the way steel is produced, SSAB is striving to create an entirely fossil-free value chain with customers and partners.
