Vale said during a virtual meeting with market analysts that the new product has been under development for almost 20 years, and that it is is capable of resisting elevated blast furnace temperatures without disintegrating.

The reduction of GHG emissions occurs because this product allows steelmakers to reduce their dependency on sintering, said Vale.

"The ‘green briquette' is part of the revolutionary line of iron ore products offered by Vale throughout its history, as the result of significant investment in research and innovation. Up until the 1960s, our basic product was lump, that has high iron content. As lump offer declined, we installed the first pelletizing plants in Brazil, which allowed for the use of pellet feed and continue to be important for the steelmaking production chain. Now we have the 'green briquette', which will revolutionize the steel production process," explains Marcello Spinelli, Executive Vice-President, Iron Ore.

Production of "green briquettes" will initially be carried out in pelletizing plants 1 and 2 at Tubarão Unit in Vitória (in Espírito Santo, Brazil), and the Vargem Grande Complex, in Minas Gerais, in which a new plant is being installed.

The initial production capacity will be approximately 7 million tonnes per year. The operations start up for the three plants is estimated for 2023. The total investment is US$ 185 million. Long-term estimates are that the company will have the capacity to produce more than 50 million tonnes of "green briquette" per year , resulting in a potential reduction in emissions of 6 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent per year.

The "green briquette" is part of Vale's strategy to reduce by 15% Scope 3 emissions, related to its value chain, by 2035. 

Figure shows the advantages of briquetting over pelletizing and sintering