SMS integrates Metso’s ferrous technologies

Acquisition completed: The SMS group has acquired selected technologies from Metso for the production of green iron.

With the new business areas of sintering and mobile and stationary pelletising plants, the SMS group is rounding off its range of solutions for sustainable iron and steel production. The acquired technologies will contribute to SMS’s new ‘Green Iron’ solution, a hydrogen-based, combined fluidised bed/melting process that incorporates Metso’s Circored technology.
With the acquisition of selected Metso business units and technologies in Germany, India, China and Australia, SMS is strengthening its position as a leading full-service provider for sustainable metallurgy. The acquisition enables SMS to offer bespoke solutions for accelerating the industry’s transition to low-emission iron and steel production, which can be adapted to different site conditions, ore and energy profiles, and regulatory requirements.
By integrating agglomeration technologies for moving grate pelletisation, sintering and CFB (Circulating Fluid Bed) calcination, the SMS group is expanding its range of upstream process solutions and strengthening its position in the field of sustainable metallurgy as well as in direct reduction processes. Iron ore agglomeration is crucial for the production of the feedstock required for direct reduction processes in shaft furnaces as well as for conventional pig iron production. This means the customer receives everything from a single source. SMS supplies end-to-end solutions – from raw material processing through to finished product systems – including highly efficient sintering technologies that combine flexible feedstock handling, advanced heat recovery and combustion technologies, and robust automation systems.
“As a driving force in decarbonisation, SMS and our new team from Metso are not only pooling their research and process expertise, but are also merging their service operations. We are accelerating scalable, cost-effective and sustainable processes for iron and steel production. The spirit of cooperation amongst our experts will enable targeted and competitive innovations,” says Thomas Hansmann, CTO of the SMS group.
SMS is utilising Metso’s Circored technology to establish a unique hydrogen-based direct reduction process for green iron production. This approach combines Circored’s fluidised-bed reduction with SMS’s proven electric smelting furnace (ESF) technology, thereby forming a two-stage reduction process. Unlike conventional direct reduction plants, which require high-quality pellets with a high Fe content and specific physical properties – including complex, energy-intensive pre-processing – the Circored-melting-furnace process can utilise fine iron ore feed with a low Fe content. This reduces the amount of preparation required, increases flexibility in terms of feedstock and delivers cost benefits.
Source: SMS group