Schedule
9–11 March 2026 • Drury Plaza Hotel Orlando-Disney Springs Area • Orlando, FL., USA
Monday,9 March 2026(Times subject to change) | |
| 2–4 p.m. | Registration |
| 5–6 p.m. | Reception |
Tuesday, 10 March 2026 | |
| 7 a.m. | Registration and Breakfast |
| 8 a.m. | Overview of Direct Reduction and Alternative Ironmaking Processes and Products Joseph Poveromo, Raw Materials & Ironmaking Global Consulting and Jan van der Stel, Tata Steel Europe This introductory lecture will present an overview of these direct reduction and alternative ironmaking processes and the products they produce. |
| 8:30 a.m. | Tomorrow’s Steel Mill, Today: Pesquería Leads Sustainable Innovation With Ternium and Tenova Leonardo Tamez, Tenova HYL Ternium’s new steel mill in Pesquería, Mexico, sets a benchmark for sustainable steel production in Latin America. Leveraging ENERGIRON technology with natural gas, hydrogen and CO2 capture, the plant cuts emissions by up to 90% while producing advanced high-strength steels. With innovative systems like CONSTEEL and advanced automation, it achieves a carbon footprint of just 0.80 tons of CO2 per ton of steel — less than half the global average — proving that large-scale production and sustainability can go hand in hand. |
| 9 a.m. | MIDREX: The (New) Gold Standard for Ironmaking Vincent Chevrier, Midrex Technologies Inc. Direct reduction using natural gas and hydrogen stands out as the most advanced and commercially viable pathway to low-carbon ironmaking. Midrex Technologies Inc. has pioneered the development of the MIDREX® Process to enable a phased transition from natural gas to hydrogen (MIDREX Flex™), ultimately achieving a carbon-neutral solution (MIDREX H2™), both being implemented at industrial scale. This presentation will showcase how the MIDREX Process — rooted in fundamental science and continuously refined — has become the gold standard in sustainable ironmaking. |
| 9:30 a.m. | Break |
| 10 a.m. | Electric Smelting Furnace-Based Flowsheets for Sustainable Iron and Steel Production Sa Ge (Gesa), Hatch The electric smelting furnace (ESF) is a mature and versatile technology that can be integrated into multiple iron- and steelmaking flowsheets to enhance emission, environmental and economic sustainability. From well-established applications such as low-emission hot metal production from prereduced iron to supply basic oxygen furnace (BOF) and electric arc furnace (EAF) steelmaking, to novel flowsheets involving direct production of low-nitrogen liquid steel from direct reduced iron (DRI) and the valorization of steel plant waste material into hot metal and usable slag, the ESF brings the benefits of efficient electrification, yield improvement, feed flexibility, slag optimization, and high availability continuous operation to various iron and steel processes and flowsheets. This study presents technoeconomic assessments and case studies for several ESF-based flowsheets, as well as relevant references and benchmark operations to demonstrate their process and technology maturity. |
| 10:30 a.m. | Enhancing the Value-in-Use of Direct Reduced Iron in Electric Steelmaking Anup Sane, Air Products and Chemicals Inc. As EAF steelmaking evolves to improve efficiency and reduce emissions, the demand for high-quality ore-based metallics (OBMs) like DRI and pig iron increases — especially due to declining prime scrap availability. While pig iron offers superior properties, its blast furnace production is CO2-intensive. DRI, produced via natural gas reduction, is cleaner but presents melting and handling challenges. This presentation introduces two combustion-based solutions: oxy-fuel preheating of cold DRI, yielding US$1.5–$2/ton savings, and melting DRI into hot metal using natural gas or hydrogen, offering a 10% cost advantage over electric melting. These methods enhance DRI’s value-in-use and support sustainable steelmaking. |
| 11 a.m. | Using Stiff Extrusion of DRI Fines and Dust to Make Fluxed Pig Iron, a High-Value Charge for EAFs Mark Ford, JC Steele & Sons Direct reduced iron dust and fines represent a high-value byproduct that is intrinsically difficult to agglomerate and can be difficult to transport. This paper introduces an innovative agglomeration technique, using JC Steele & Sons heated stiff extrusion, to produce a “fluxed pig iron” (FPI) charge for EAFs. These extruded briquettes are waterproof and magnetic, preserving the value of the DRI while increasing storage and shipping options. |
| 11:30 a.m. | Hybrit Pilot Project: Melting H2-DRI With 0% Carbon Gunilla Hyllander, Hybrit Development AB The focus of HYBRITs work has been to develop a competitive value chain from ore to steel. This has been achieved by consolidating and integrating results from various process steps. The analysis of the value chain shows that the best overall efficiency is achieved when the iron ore is reduced with hydrogen only in the reduction step and then melted into crude steel together with a minimal addition of biocarbon in the EAF. In this way, close to zero emissions of carbon dioxide (0,0 tonnes of CO2e/tonne of steel) has been proven on a semi-industrial scale. |
| Noon | Lunch |
| 1 p.m. | Direct Reduced Iron Quality and Electric Furnace Steelmaking P. Chris Pistorius, Carnegie Mellon University DRI pellet quality affects EAF steelmaking. Known and well-characterized effects of DRI composition include slag volume (affected by gangue), refractory wear by a transient acid slag at the start of the heat, metallization, and the concentrations of phosphorus and carbon. Most current EAF steelmaking relies on a significant carbon input; the carbon is oxidized to carbon monoxide, which flushes nitrogen out of the steel and foams the slag (contributing to energy efficiency). Analysis of plant data shows that more carbon is not necessarily better; as little as 6 kg carbon per metric ton crude steel can be sufficient to achieve around 50 ppm nitrogen in the steel, with little decrease in the nitrogen concentration for higher carbon input. |
| 1:30 p.m. | The Challenge of the Japanese Steel Industry to Achieve Carbon Neutrality Sumito Ozawa, JFE Steel Corp. Steel is a strong and versatile material with excellent recyclability, and even more essential for Japan's industrial competitiveness. Therefore, the decarbonization of the Japanese steel industry, which supplies large amounts of high-grade steel produced from low-grade ore, is extremely important in supporting the industrial foundations of Japan. Three Japan steel companies (Nippon Steel, JFE Steel and KOBELCO) and JRCM created the “Hydrogen Steelmaking Consortium” GREINS (Green Innovation in Steelmaking) to promote the decarbonization of the steel industry. It launched the Green Innovation Fund Project/Utilization of Hydrogen in Steelmaking Processes (supported by NEDO) in fiscal year 2021. In order to realize carbon-neutral steel using low-grade ore, the development of double-track technologies such as blast furnace, direct reduction steelmaking and electric arc furnace is required. |
| 2 p.m. | Forging the Future of Iron: Energy, Economics and Emissions Brian Jamieson, Charm Industrial Global primary iron production is around 1.3 billion metric tons annually, with most emissions originating from blast furnaces and coal-based DRI. This session examines how shaft-based DRI can enable deep decarbonization through alternative reducing gases such as hydrogen and biogenic syngas. Using publicly available data, this presentation compares energy use, CO2 emissions, and costs across hydrogen-, bio- and electricity-based pathways. Attendees will gain a clear understanding of the technical and economic trade-offs of each route and how emerging DRI technologies could accelerate low-carbon steelmaking. |
| 2:30 p.m. | Break |
| 3 p.m. | Enhancing the Value of HBI Fines through Their Use in Cliffs’ Operations Jianghua Li, Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. and Ziggy Suchonski, FPT-Zalev Brothers Co. This presentation explores strategies to enhance the value of HBI fines generated at the Toledo facility. Traditionally considered a low-value byproduct, these fines are now being utilized as a substitute for scrap and iron coolant, significantly improving their economic value. The discussion will cover the physical and chemical characteristics of the fines, the briquetting process used to convert them into higher-value briquetted products, and the properties of the resulting materials. Finally, we will present their applications within Cliffs’ operations and the value improvement achieved through this approach. |
| 3:30 p.m. | Green Steel Past and Present Outlook Sara A. Hornby, Global Strategic Solutions Inc. The presentation will review "the green steel revolution" from the anticipated future to a broad overview of today's reality and future solutions. |
| 4 p.m. | Blast Furnace Decarbonization by Using Metallics Reinoud van Laar, Danieli Corus BV The industry is challenged by decarbonization requirements and expectations. Most steel is currently made by BF-BOF and it is anticipated that the total production of BF-BOF will remain high in the coming decades. We believe that realistic and effective technologies must be pursued which could be implemented within coming years. One such technology includes usage of DRI in the BF. DRI could be made by using either NG, COG, H2 or SG. This paper will present the results of an assessment on the integral CO2 emissions for producing crude steel. DRI could also be produced by using BF-grade pellets, eliminating the need for DR-grade pellets (which may be constrained in another decade). The effects will also be presented. |
| 4:30 p.m. | Recent HIsarna Operational Developments at the IJmuiden Pilot Plant Jan van der Stel, Tata Steel Europe This presentation will address the most recent process results and some of the ongoing initiatives at the HIsarna pilot plant. HIsarna ironmaking is a breakthrough process for the production of liquid hot metal from iron ore. It is a smelting reduction ironmaking process which is being developed by Tata Steel at pilot scale the IJmuiden steelmaking site in the Netherlands that has been in operation since 2011. A CO2 emission reduction of 50% without carbon capture has already been demonstrated and ongoing efforts are being made to reduce the total carbon footprint. Over the past few years, several significant upgrades were made to the pilot facility to improve operational stability and plant reliability to further explore the process window. A series of successful trials at high productivity has demonstrated the required process stability and energy efficiency to justify scaling up to an industrial scale plant. The current pilot plant has a name plate annual production capacity of 65,000 tons of hot metal. |
| 5 p.m. | Reception |
Wednesday, 11 March 2026 | |
| 7 a.m. | Breakfast |
| 8 a.m. | Update on HIsmelt Neil Goodman, Smelt Tech Consulting The HIsmelt ironmaking process is being adopted by the Chinese steel industry to assist in the decarbonization of steel production. Three new HIsmelt plants are under construction in Hebei province with start-up scheduled for 2026. Each HIsmelt plant will supply 600,000 tpy of liquid hot metal to an EAF. With the addition of 400,000 tpy of scrap, each EAF will produce 900,000 tpy of liquid steel with carbon emissions 30% lower than the BF-BOF route. These new HIsmelt plants will incorporate several improvements to the technology that were developed by the Chinese owners of the HIsmelt technology since the start of their first HIsmelt plant in 2016. |
| 8:30 a.m. | The NRRI Direct Reduced Iron Simulator Brett Spigarelli, Natural Resources Research Institute The Minnesota taconite industry predominantly produces iron oxide pellets for blast furnace ironmaking. However, the iron and steel industry is quickly transitioning to shaft furnace direct reduction technologies that utilize an iron oxide pellet with lower levels of gangue compared to blast furnace–grade pellets. Therefore, to aid the taconite industry in transitioning to a low-gangue pellet, the Natural Resources Research Institute (NRRI) has developed a pilot-scale DRI Simulator. The DRI Simulator can simulate the two major shaft furnace reduction technologies, allowing pellet producers to derisk pellet performance at pilot scale. NRRI will present the final DRI Simulator design and provide a project status report. |
| 9 a.m. | Reduction Behavior of Iron Ores by H2 at Multistage Reduction Sungmo Jung, Pohang University of Science and Technology The fluidized bed reduction process is noted as one of the representative clean ironmaking processes to replace the blast furnace. The current study characterized the four-stage reduction of four iron ores in terms of phase of iron oxide and gangue amount. |
| 9:30 a.m. | Break |
| 10 a.m. | Volteron™: Scalable Electrochemical Ironmaking for Green Steel Production Xavier Lhoest, John Cockerill Developed by John Cockerill and ArcelorMittal, Volteron™ is a low-temperature electrolysis-based ironmaking technology that represents a disruptive innovation in the decarbonization of steel production. This paper outlines the core principles, pilot implementation, industrial road map and comparative advantages of the process. Key benefits include zero CO2 emissions, reduced energy consumption and scalable industrial feasibility. Volteron stands out as a credible and sustainable alternative to conventional and hydrogen-based direct reduction methods, with the potential to transform the iron and steel industry toward a carbon-neutral future. |
| 11 a.m. | Numerical Simulation of Reducing Gas Composition Impacts on DRI Shaft Furnace Operation Samuel Nielson, Purdue University Northwest This paper discusses the development of a new computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model of the DRI furnace using a Eulerian multiphase approach to handle the burden and gas flow, and the application of this model to investigate high- and low-productivity operations, as well as a test scenario for 100% H2 DRI operation. Typical industrial operating conditions are used for validation of the CFD modeling approach, with existing comparisons showing an average difference of 7% from industrial data. This study also explores how the location of reaction regions differs in the furnace with varying productivity and reducing gas composition, as well as the sensible and chemical heat energy demands for achieving target metallization with varying reducing gas compositions. |
| 11:30 a.m. | Raw Material Strategies for Circularity and Sustainability Jeremy Jones, CIX Inc. The future of steelmaking is closely tied to the availability of suitable feedstocks. Projections indicate an abundance of scrap available for recycling in the future, but is it of the quality required to meet future steelmaking requirements? In North America, the solution has been to utilize a blend of ore-based metallics along with scrap to meet the desired steel chemistry. At the same time, it is recognized that as steel is recycled, the residual levels in obsolete scrap rise. Thus, it is projected that more OBMs will be required in the charge mix in the future. This presentation will discuss strategies to preserve scrap quality and maintain the balance between OBMs and scrap in the future aimed at achieving true circularity and sustainability for the steel industry. |
| Noon | Lunch |
| 1 p.m. | In-Flight Hydrogen Microwave Plasma Processing of Fines Thomas Cameron, University of Minnesota This work presents a fully electrified rapid microwave-generated plasma-based process for the reduction of DRI-grade magnetite fines into metallic iron. Reactive plasma species allow for ultrafast reduction with clean water as the only byproduct. |
| 1:30 p.m. | Element Zero — Electroreduction of Iron Ore Neil Goodman, Smelt Tech Consulting Element Zero's electroreduction technology incorporates the dissolution of iron oxide in a molten salt followed by the electrowinning of iron powder on to a steel cathode. The iron powder comprises 96–98% Fe with minimal gangue and can be formed into pellets or briquettes for charging into an EAF. Element Zero is presently studying sites in the U.S. and Australia in parallel for their first commercial-scale plants. The technology can reduce all iron oxides including hematite, magnetite and goethite and with lower energy consumption than typical DRI processes. |
| 2 p.m. | Hybrit Pilot Project: New Sponge Iron Product With Unique Properties Volker Schöllmann, Hybrit Development AB In the HYBRIT process, iron ore pellets are reduced to iron using hydrogen gas without usage of fossil carbon. Extensive testing in HYBRIT pilot plant has given the possibility to evaluate many different types of sponge iron products. Hydrogen-reduced DRI with high metallization has better transport, storage and melting properties compared to conventional natural gas–based sponge iron. Low iron oxide content and 0% carbon make the sponge iron robust and more resistant to mechanical pressure, abrasion and drop heights. |
| 2:30 p.m. | Break |
| 3 p.m. | Will the Emergence of Green Metallics Hubs Lead to an HBI Price Decoupling? Ricardo Montealto, Hatch Advisory The transition of global economies toward a zero-carbon future is inherently complex, requiring a phased approach rather than an instantaneous change due to economic considerations and the need for technological advancements. This is particularly relevant for the steel industry, a critical player in this transition. Despite its status as one of the most recycled materials worldwide, the steel sector is poised to face a shortage of scrap metal driven by increased EAF utilization, which will particularly impact the availability of prime scrap necessary for flat steel production. This shortage will require a heavier reliance on ore-based metallics. To navigate this transitional landscape effectively, certain regions are positioned to leverage their unique advantages, facilitating the shift from conventional to low-carbon steel, progressing subsequently to ultralow and finally zero-carbon or completely green steel. These favorable locations boast robust infrastructure, streamlined logistics and permitting processes that promote access to competitive iron ore sources. They also benefit from existing competitive reductants, such as natural gas, coupled with the potential for carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) technologies, as well as abundant renewable energy resources suitable for hydrogen electrolysis in the longer term. All these different possibilities and technologies will lead to different cost and price structures, with long-term incentive pricing potentially leading to a potential decoupling from other metallics sources. |
| 3:30 p.m. | Profitable Decarbonization of the Ironmaking Furnace: A New Approach to Top Gas Recycling Evan Haas, Helix Carbon Current blast furnace decarbonization approaches are constrained by the furnace’s use of CO as the active reducing agent and long asset lifetimes. This paper introduces an electrochemical system that directly converts CO2-rich blast furnace gas into a CO-rich reducing gas, enabling direct recycling into the furnace without carbon capture. This "3-in-1" system serves as a top gas recycling unit, syngas generation system and oxygen source. |
| 4 p.m. | A Carbon-Free Iron Ore Reduction Process for Producing High-Purity Green Iron Hani Farran, Helios The Helios Cycle™ is a breakthrough, carbon-free iron ore reduction process that produces high-purity iron powder, compatible with conventional steelmaking. This technology operates at low temperatures, emits only oxygen and gangue byproducts, and features a closed-loop sodium recycling system achieving zero direct CO₂ emissions. Uniquely, the Helios Cycle can process a wide range of iron ore types, including low-grade ores and waste materials, delivering over 99% iron metallization without the need for pre-treatment or beneficiation. |
| 4:30 p.m. | New AI-Based Features for Improved Scrap Density Measurement and Nonhomogeneous Scrap Classification EMatías Bertoni and Marcelo Saparrat, Tecnoap In the business ecosystem of steel producers, is well known the impact in the costs of the business that scrap has as the main raw material of the steel process. This case is an AI application to deploy a smart scrap classification process, density estimation, and measurement of quality attributes in several dimensions, physical and chemical, in order to enhance the scrap procurement process, optimize the scrap load in the EAF and digitize the scrap entry workflow in a plant. |
| 5 p.m. | Conference Adjourn |