The contract is an extension of work Metso has been doing with Rio Tinto in Germany on developing the Bioiron process.
That work proved, through small-scale pilot tests at Metso's Frankfurt, Germany research centre, that the process was effective.

Rio Tinto aims to move closer to full-scale implementation of the Bioiron technology by operating a CPP.

Metso has been put in charge of the detailed design of the CPP's reduction furnace and other equipment for the Bioiron process.

Rio Tinto steel decarbonisation general manager David Leigh said this was the next stage in the development of Bioiron and built on the successes the research and development team had already enjoyed.

The Bioiron process uses raw biomass, rather than metallurgical coal, as a reductant and microwave energy to convert iron ore to metallic iron.

It is not the only low-carbon steelmaking technology Metso is working on.

There is its hydrogen-based Circored process for the direct reduction of iron fines that, when combined with Metso's Direct Reduced Iron smelting technology, can reduce the carbon footprint of the traditional blast furnace steelmaking route.

Metso also recently introduced its Nextgen Pelletising process, which provides an 80-90% reduction in agglomeration-related carbon dioxide emissions.