IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v17y2025i5p2266-d1605989.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Optimisation Strategies and Technological Advancements for Sustainable Direct Reduction Iron Production—A Systematic Review

Author

Listed:
  • Ratidzo Yvonne Nyakudya Ncube

    (Industrial and Systems Engineering Department, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0028, South Africa)

  • Michael Ayomoh

    (Industrial and Systems Engineering Department, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0028, South Africa)

Abstract

This systematic review examines optimisation strategies and technological advancements to foster sustainable direct reduction iron (DRI) production. The evaluation encompassed a meticulous review of journal articles, industrial reports, and conference papers published between 2002 and 2025, ultimately identifying 65 pertinent studies. A qualitative thematic analysis of the optimisation strategies enabled the identification of three primary themes: life cycle assessment strategies, modelling tools, and technological innovation strategies. This review highlights innovative approaches to using alternative reductants such as biomass and hydrogen, incorporating renewable energy sources in the process, and the economic feasibility of adopting these optimisation strategies. The research findings indicated that there is an urgent need to enhance waste management strategies, especially for coal-based reduction processes, as they are linked to environmental issues. Hydrogen-based reduction has been identified as an innovative methodology for waste control with the potential to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by up to 90%, though it has its limitations. The Circular Economy approach has been proposed as a viable strategy to reduce waste generation and extend the lifespan of materials used in the DRI process. This review provides essential insights on resource optimisation and utilisation and promotes technological innovation to improve the sustainability of DRI.

Suggested Citation

  • Ratidzo Yvonne Nyakudya Ncube & Michael Ayomoh, 2025. "Optimisation Strategies and Technological Advancements for Sustainable Direct Reduction Iron Production—A Systematic Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(5), pages 1-23, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:5:p:2266-:d:1605989
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/5/2266/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/5/2266/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Salemi, Sina & Torabi, Morteza & Haghparast, Arash Kashani, 2022. "Technoeconomical investigation of energy harvesting from MIDREX® process waste heat using Kalina cycle in direct reduction iron process," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 239(PE).
    2. Yuan, Peng & Shen, Boxiong & Duan, Dongping & Adwek, George & Mei, Xue & Lu, Fengju, 2017. "Study on the formation of direct reduced iron by using biomass as reductants of carbon containing pellets in RHF process," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 141(C), pages 472-482.
    3. Masih Hosseinzadeh & Hossein Mashhadimoslem & Farid Maleki & Ali Elkamel, 2022. "Prediction of Solid Conversion Process in Direct Reduction Iron Oxide Using Machine Learning," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(24), pages 1-25, December.
    4. Nicole K. Bond & Robert T. Symonds & Robin W. Hughes, 2024. "Pressurized Chemical Looping for Direct Reduced Iron Production: Economics of Carbon Neutral Process Configurations," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(3), pages 1-20, January.
    5. Chen, Xiangxiang & Sun, Zhuang & Kuo, Po-Chih & Aziz, Muhammad, 2024. "Thermodynamics analysis of innovative carbon-negative systems for direct reduction of iron ore via chemical looping technology," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 309(C).
    6. Amanda Qinisile Vilakazi & Sehliselo Ndlovu & Liberty Chipise & Alan Shemi, 2022. "The Recycling of Coal Fly Ash: A Review on Sustainable Developments and Economic Considerations," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-32, February.
    7. Abanades, Stéphane & Rodat, Sylvain, 2024. "Solar-aided direct reduction of iron ore with hydrogen targeting carbon-free steel metallurgy," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 235(C).
    8. Scaccabarozzi, Roberto & Artini, Chiara & Campanari, Stefano & Spinelli, Maurizio, 2024. "Techno-Economic and CO2 Emissions Analysis of the Molten Carbonate Fuel Cell Integration in a DRI Production Plant for the Decarbonization of the Steel Industry," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 376(PB).
    9. Quader, M. Abdul & Ahmed, Shamsuddin & Ghazilla, Raja Ariffin Raja & Ahmed, Shameem & Dahari, Mahidzal, 2015. "A comprehensive review on energy efficient CO2 breakthrough technologies for sustainable green iron and steel manufacturing," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 594-614.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Sun, Minmin & Zhang, Jianliang & Li, Kejiang & Barati, Mansoor & Liu, Zhibin, 2022. "Co-gasification characteristics of coke blended with hydro-char and pyro-char from bamboo," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 241(C).
    2. Zdzisław Adamczyk & Joanna Komorek & Magdalena Kokowska-Pawłowska & Jacek Nowak, 2023. "Distribution of Rare-Earth Elements in Ashes Produced in the Coal Combustion Process from Power Boilers," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(6), pages 1-15, March.
    3. Ye, Lian & Zhang, Jianliang & Wang, Guangwei & Wang, Chen & Mao, Xiaoming & Ning, Xiaojun & Zhang, Nan & Teng, Haipeng & Li, Jinhua & Wang, Chuan, 2023. "Feasibility analysis of plastic and biomass hydrochar for blast furnace injection," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 263(PD).
    4. Yuancheng Lin & Honghua Yang & Linwei Ma & Zheng Li & Weidou Ni, 2021. "Low-Carbon Development for the Iron and Steel Industry in China and the World: Status Quo, Future Vision, and Key Actions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(22), pages 1-28, November.
    5. Aziman, Eli Syafiqah & Ismail, Aznan Fazli & Rahmat, Muhammad Abdullah, 2023. "Balancing economic growth and environmental protection: A sustainable approach to Malaysia's rare-earth industry," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    6. Michael Bampaou & Kyriakos Panopoulos & Panos Seferlis & Spyridon Voutetakis & Ismael Matino & Alice Petrucciani & Antonella Zaccara & Valentina Colla & Stefano Dettori & Teresa Annunziata Branca & Vi, 2021. "Integration of Renewable Hydrogen Production in Steelworks Off-Gases for the Synthesis of Methanol and Methane," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(10), pages 1-24, May.
    7. Isaac Akinwumi & Manuela Onyeiwu & Promise Epelle & Victor Ajayi, 2023. "Soil Improvement Using Blends of Coal Ash and Plantain Peel Ash as Road Pavement Layer Materials," Resources, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-16, March.
    8. David Borge-Diez & Enrique Rosales-Asensio & Emin Açıkkalp & Daniel Alonso-Martínez, 2023. "Analysis of Power to Gas Technologies for Energy Intensive Industries in European Union," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(1), pages 1-22, January.
    9. Masih Hosseinzadeh & Hossein Mashhadimoslem & Farid Maleki & Ali Elkamel, 2022. "Prediction of Solid Conversion Process in Direct Reduction Iron Oxide Using Machine Learning," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(24), pages 1-25, December.
    10. Wu, Junjun & Tan, Yu & Li, Peng & Wang, Hong & Zhu, Xun & Liao, Qiang, 2022. "Centrifugal-Granulation-Assisted thermal energy recovery towards low-carbon blast furnace slag treatment: State of the art and future challenges," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 325(C).
    11. Chen, Qianqian & Gu, Yu & Tang, Zhiyong & Wei, Wei & Sun, Yuhan, 2018. "Assessment of low-carbon iron and steel production with CO2 recycling and utilization technologies: A case study in China," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 220(C), pages 192-207.
    12. Do, Thai Ngan & Hur, Young Gul & Chung, Hegwon & Kim, Jiyong, 2023. "Potentials and benefit assessment of green fuels from residue gas via gas-to-liquid," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 182(C).
    13. Bhadbhade, Navdeep & Zuberi, M. Jibran S. & Patel, Martin K., 2019. "A bottom-up analysis of energy efficiency improvement and CO2 emission reduction potentials for the swiss metals sector," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 181(C), pages 173-186.
    14. Skoczkowski, Tadeusz & Verdolini, Elena & Bielecki, Sławomir & Kochański, Max & Korczak, Katarzyna & Węglarz, Arkadiusz, 2020. "Technology innovation system analysis of decarbonisation options in the EU steel industry," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 212(C).
    15. Konstantin Biel & Christoph H. Glock, 2017. "Prerequisites of efficient decentralized waste heat recovery and energy storage in production planning," Journal of Business Economics, Springer, vol. 87(1), pages 41-72, January.
    16. Michael Bampaou & Kyriakos Panopoulos & Panos Seferlis & Amaia Sasiain & Stephane Haag & Philipp Wolf-Zoellner & Markus Lehner & Leokadia Rog & Przemyslaw Rompalski & Sebastian Kolb & Nina Kieberger &, 2022. "Economic Evaluation of Renewable Hydrogen Integration into Steelworks for the Production of Methanol and Methane," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(13), pages 1-26, June.
    17. Rahmani, Amir & Aboojafari, Roohallah & Bonyadi Naeini, Ali & Mashayekh, Javad, 2024. "Adoption of digital innovation for resource efficiency and sustainability in the metal industry," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    18. Ahmad Mukhtar & Asad Ullah Qazi & Qasim Shaukat Khan & Muhammad Junaid Munir & Syed Minhaj Saleem Kazmi & Asif Hameed, 2022. "Feasibility of Using Coal Ash for the Production of Sustainable Bricks," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(11), pages 1-15, May.
    19. Uribe-Soto, Wilmar & Portha, Jean-François & Commenge, Jean-Marc & Falk, Laurent, 2017. "A review of thermochemical processes and technologies to use steelworks off-gases," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 809-823.
    20. Sergio García García & Vicente Rodríguez Montequín & Henar Morán Palacios & Adriano Mones Bayo, 2020. "A Mixed Integer Linear Programming Model for the Optimization of Steel Waste Gases in Cogeneration: A Combined Coke Oven and Converter Gas Case Study," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(15), pages 1-25, July.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:5:p:2266-:d:1605989. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.