Today’s Problems… Tomorrow’s Opportunities

I love problems. Problems are the easiest way to identify issues that need to be addressed and produce an outcome that is superior to what we had yesterday. Today, ore based metallics and the direct reduction industry face many problems: environmental/carbon intensity, increasing product quality requirements, changing raw materials, new or evolving energy portfolios, shipping and logistics requirements, and more. However, these problems present a fantastic number of opportunities, which is the main reason why Midrex has established the role of Chief Technology Officer (CTO).

In the current market, our customers and partners have more factors to consider than ever before in their planning and decision-making process. What will be the costs related to carbon dioxide in five years? How much hydrogen will be available and at what price in the next three years? How can planners develop a business plan for assets that have a 40+ year life in the midst of such uncertainty?

At Midrex, our goal is to support our customers with the technologies and business solutions that will help make them successful over the full life of their facilities. The role of the CTO is to provide focus for transforming problems into new opportunities that will deliver world-class performance, even in the face of market uncertainty.

Midrex has always been the most flexible and reliable direct reduction technology in terms of fuel sources, raw materials, and product quality. It’s the strong history of innovation and the meeting of such challenges in the past that drive our confidence in turning today’s problems into tomorrow’s opportunities.

Indurated pellets replaced lump ores and revolutionized the feed materials for direct reduction plants. Today, most facilities are continuously looking for raw materials with increased performance, and a new type of cold agglomerate is on the horizon to challenge indurated pellets. Midrex is working with Vale to help develop these pelletizing alternatives and bring this flexibility to meet the needs of our customers.

Midrex is also experienced with new and changing fuel sources. Hydrogen and even ammonia are the latest options that we are making available for direct reduction. Even though options such as coal gasification syngas, coke oven gas, or SMR syngas face their own environmental challenges today, these commercially-demonstrated fuels show the flexibility of the MIDREX® Process.

How do we plan to handle uncertainty? It’s simple. We design our technology to be flexible enough to adapt to whatever uncertainties may arise in the future. So If you have a problem, please let me know because I love problems.