ArcelorMittal and LanzaTech Achieve Ethanol Production Milestone, Ship First Barge from Belgium Facility

LanzaTech Global, Inc., a leader in carbon recycling, and ArcelorMittal S.A., the world's largest integrated steel and mining company, have achieved a significant milestone in their collaboration. Ethanol produced at ArcelorMittal's Steelanol facility in Ghent has reached a level of production that supports shipping by barge. Earlier this month, LanzaTech took possession of the first barge shipment of this ethanol, which is on its way to be purified and sold to LanzaTech’s CarbonSmart® customers in the fragrance and home care markets. This success marks a key step in LanzaTech and ArcelorMittal's strategy to establish a sustainable European ethanol supply chain.

ArcelorMittal’s Steelanol facility converts carbon-rich emissions from its blast furnace into fuel-grade ethanol using cutting-edge carbon recycling technology developed by LanzaTech. Production began in 2023, and this facility is a first-of-its-kind in the European steel industry. The ethanol produced can be sold directly as fuel or further refined for use in various consumer products such as apparel, personal care, and packaging.

Dr. Jennifer Holmgren, CEO of LanzaTech, highlighted the milestone as an important advancement in treating industrial emissions as raw materials rather than waste, contributing to European supply chains and the creation of sustainable everyday products. She praised ArcelorMittal’s leadership in decarbonizing the steel industry and expressed excitement about expanding their operations to further support the circular economy.

ArcelorMittal Belgium’s CEO, Manfred Van Vlierberghe, expressed enthusiasm about reaching this new decarbonization milestone with the first barge shipment of ethanol. He emphasized the importance of initiatives like Steelanol, which converts carbon-rich gases into ethanol, and Torero, which produces biocoal from waste wood, in advancing their sustainability efforts. Van Vlierberghe also noted that achieving climate neutrality by 2050 requires a comprehensive approach, incorporating energy efficiency, carbon capture and storage (CCUS), and electrification, alongside projects like Steelanol.

The Steelanol plant has an annual capacity of 80 million liters of advanced ethanol, covering about half of Belgium’s current demand. The facility is expected to cut carbon emissions by 125,000 tonnes annually from the Ghent plant, helping to meet the EU’s 2030 Climate Target Plan, which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by the end of the decade. The project partners include Primetals Technologies and E4tech (now part of ERM), with support from CINEA, the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency.

LanzaTech Global, Inc. is a carbon recycling company that converts waste carbon into sustainable fuels, chemicals, materials, and protein for everyday products. Through its biorecycling technology, LanzaTech captures carbon emissions directly from energy-intensive industries, preventing these emissions from entering the atmosphere.