Mercedes-Benz has signed a memorandum of understanding with HyIron, a company developing hydrogen-based ironmaking technologies. The partners plan to continue technical testing of the process, which was piloted with Kumba Iron Ore, a division of Anglo American.
During the project, direct reduced iron (DRI) was produced from iron ore fines without the energy-intensive pelletizing stage. The raw material came from the Sishen mine in South Africa’s Northern Cape province. HyIron processed it using hydrogen and its proprietary rotary kiln technology. The resulting iron was used to produce steel, which was then made into a demonstrator component for the Mercedes-Benz EQS.
According to HyIron, Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions from production amounted to 10 kg of CO₂ per tonne of DRI. Mercedes-Benz notes that iron ore fines are currently used mainly in blast furnaces, while using them directly to produce DRI could broaden the range of raw materials available for lower-emissions steelmaking.
Separately, Mercedes-Benz said the Sishen and Kolomela mines had passed an independent audit under the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA) Standard and received an IRMA75 rating. This means the sites substantially met all 40 of the standard’s critical requirements and at least 75% of the criteria in each of the four assessment areas.
The project is part of Mercedes-Benz’s efforts to reduce emissions throughout the steel supply chain, from raw material extraction to the production of finished automotive components. The company has set a goal of reducing emissions from its own production operations by 90% by 2039, and total emissions at the relevant stages of the value chain by 70% from 2019 levels. Mercedes-Benz also aims to reduce emissions during vehicle use by 80%; achieving this goal depends on market conditions.