Chinese steelmaker makes ethanol from gas

In China, Baosteel, the country’s largest steel and iron business, is developing a biofuels plant.

After signing a deal with the Chinese Academy of Sciences in June this year Baosteel is now planning the construction of a waste gas-to-ethanol facility near to one of its factories. The plant will produce ethanol using the waste gas emitted from the factory.

LanzaTech, a clean technology firm based in New Zealand, has been contracted to build the commercial-scale plant, which will have an initial capacity of 200 million litres of ethanol a year.

LanzaTech is currently operating one pilot project at the Glenbrook steel mill in New Zealand, converting waste gas into around 57,000 litres of ethanol.

On 13 July Baosteel confirmed it has secured $25 million (€19.6 million) form investors, which will go towards commercialising its waste gas-to-fuel technology.

The firm is currently finalising plans before the build commences later on this year. In the future Baosteel has a vision of taking its technology to the US, Europe and India.

source: biofuels-news