On the use of industrial steel mill scale as a high-density energy carrier: Part I. Reaction processes and particle size evolution over cycling
(2026) Fuel : the science and technology of fuel and energy — Vol. 405, p. 136614 (2026)
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- Authors
Stevens, Nicole 
Prasidha, Willie
- Abstract
- Metal powder has recently emerged as a sustainable energy carrier due to its high energy density and potential for renewable combustion-reduction cycles. Among metallic fuels, iron stands out as a particularly attractive candidate, given its low cost, abundance, safety, and compatibility with existing infrastructures. However, the economic competitiveness of iron fuel is hampered by the costs associated with producing high-purity Fe powder. In this work, recycled mill scale produced from classical iron and steel industry is investigated as a potential low-cost iron source. The reduction and combustion behaviours of mill scale (with ~1.5 wt% additions when fully reduced) are systematically compared to those of atomized pure Fe powder. Two reduction-combustion cycles were conducted to investigate how a monomodal versus bimodal initial particle size distribution (PSD) affects key performance parameters, including fluidization behaviour, flame temperatures, particle agglomeration and embrittlement. Stable reduction-combustion cycles of the mill scale powders are obtained with lower PSD variation for the mill scale as compared to pure Fe, showing its potential as a low-cost Fe fuel.
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Citations
Choisez, L., Stevens, N., Prasidha, W., Kuypers, B., Mauxion, T., de Goey, P., Finotello, G., & Jacques, P. J. (2026). On the use of industrial steel mill scale as a high-density energy carrier: Part I. Reaction processes and particle size evolution over cycling. Fuel : the science and technology of fuel and energy, 405, 136614. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fuel.2025.136614 (Original work published 2026)