LanzaTech and Baosteel announce success of JV’s pilot facility

LanzaTech and Baosteel said test results at their 100,000-gallon-per-year (300 tons) pre-commercial plant demonstrate the successful scaling of technology. The plant, located at one of Baosteel’s steel mills outside Shanghai, China, operates at significantly larger scale than LanzaTech’s pilot facility. LanzaTech produces low-carbon fuels and chemicals from waste gases, and Baosteel is a leading steel producer in China.
China is a global leader in low carbon technology solutions, and the country has committed to the development of clean energy technologies, which have no impact on food or land resources. China’s regulatory body for technology, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), sent a review panel to the facility in early November 2012. The panel reported that the waste-gas-to-ethanol project meets international standards regarding gas conversion rates and other technical milestones. The panel also said that the project can now enter the commercialization phase, which would mean scaling the process further to allow the steel mill waste gas-biofuel to become a commercial reality in China. For 2013, a full-scale commercial facility with Baosteel is planned.
The joint venture Shanghai Baosteel LanzaTech New Energy Co., Ltd. was established in March 2011, to commercialize LanzaTech’s technology in China.
“The success of this facility will play an important role in the commercialization of clean energy technologies in China,” said Jia Yanlin, chairman of Baosteel Metal. “This technology has enormous potential in the Chinese market as it will positively impact our manufacturing sustainability as well as China’s new energy development.” (December 18, 2012)