Green options for sustainable exploitation of iron reserves in Uganda

The overarching objective of this research proposal is to build research capacity in Uganda to contribute to zero-carbon technology development of essential steps in iron and steel production and promote a circular steel industry in Uganda. These essential steps break down to the following research hypotheses:
1. Hydrogen and/or ammonia can be utilized for high quality DRI from Ugandan iron ore;
2. Different steel types/ qualities can be made by targeted alloying of iron using waste from agriculture and forestry;
3. New electrodes for production of hydrogen from water can utilize iron-rich waste from downstream steel production.

The following outputs are expected:
1. Fully characterized iron ore and thermodynamics and kinetics of conversion into iron by direct reduction (DRI).
2. Set of optimal parameters (temperature/pressure) for ammonia/hydrogen-based ore reduction, aiming to achieve sustainable and efficient DRI production in line with the SDGs 8, 9 and 13.
3. Specification of the DRI quality: purity, impurities, oxide/nitride content, porosity.
4. Synthesis routes for various grades of steel using DRI and biomass, considering carbon contents of (un)desirable alloying elements, and impurities.
5. Exploring synthesis routes for iron oxide-based electrode materials for efficient hydrogen evolution reactions using steel industry waste in line with SDGs 8, 9 and 13.
6. Education of 3 PhDs in the technology; they will contribute to the capacity of Uganda to pursue sustainable exploitation of available iron ore resources.
7. Enhancement of the capacity of MakU to pursue research in DRI by joint supervision of (PhD/graduate) students between MakU and DTU, in line with SDG 17.
8. Development of state-of-the-art research infrastructure at MakU to pursue future research on Uganda’s various mineral resources.
9. Preparation of Uganda for industrial-scale production and expansion of environmentally friendly DRI processes aligned with SDGs 8, 9, 12 and 13.

The above outputs are essential to promote sustainable steel production and importantly reduce the steel industry’s carbon footprint. Moreover, this study will contribute to fundamental knowledge of utilizing green platforms for DRI production and subsequent alloying. The project will prepare Uganda for industrial scale-up to industrial green DRI, potentially as a first mover, because all resources are in place, i.e., high quality iron ore, abundant green energy, water reservoirs for hydrogen production (Lake Victoria). Additional infrastructure will be required for hydrogen transportation, preferably as ammonia. Worldwide there is abundant R&D activity to accomplish this, so it is not included in this project. Re-use of iron oxide waste of downstream steel production processes for electrode materials and waste from agriculture and forestry will importantly contribute to circularity.