Overall approach
ReMFra is a research project within the frame of the Clean Steel Partnership (Horizon Europe) to develop and validate a highly efficient industrial scale pyrometallurgical smelting and reduction plant for the recovery of metals and minerals contained in a variety of steelmaking residues. The treatment route is based on 2 processes (see Figure 1), a plasma reactor for the treatment of coarse-grained residues such as scale, sludge, and secondary metallurgical slag, and the RecoDust process for fine-grained residues.
The activities of K1-MET within the RemFra project focus on smelting campaigns with the RecoDust pilot plant at the Chair of Thermal Processing Technology (project partner University of Leoben) with different feedstocks (dusts from the BOF, EAF and the Hisarna smelting reduction process), on DEC activities (dissemination, exploitation, and communication) as well as on Key Performance Indicator (KPI) monitoring.
Objectives
The overall goals of this 42-month project are:
- Development and implementation of highly efficient technologies for recovering metals and mineral fraction from steelmaking residues
- Full by-product testing and evaluation
- Use of smart sensor and dedicated Big Data analytics to develop and optimize decision-supported systems
- Evaluation of the slag utilization originating from the plasma process
- Integration of energy recovery solutions from the pyrometallurgical residue treatment
- Reduction of CO2 emissions
Framework

Project runtime:
2022-12-01 to 2026-05-31
Funding scheme:
Call: Horizon Europe Clean Steel Partnership (HORIZON-CL4-2021-TWIN-TRANSITION-01-19)
Type of action: Innovation Action (IA)
Granting authority: European Health and Digital Executive Agency
The ReMFra project receives funding by the European Union (Grant Agreement no. 101058362).
Project partners:
Starting with the project coordinator, the consortium is composed as follows:
- Tenaris Dalmine SPA (Italy, Coordinator)
- Tenova SPA (Italy)
- RINA Consulting – Centro Sviluppo Materiali (Italy)
- European Steel Technology Platform (Belgium)
- voestalpine Stahl (Austria)
- University of Leoben, Chair of Thermal Processing Technology (Austria)
- FEhS Institut fuer Baustoffforschung e.V. (Germany)
- thyssenkrupp Steel Europe (Germany)
- Tata Steel Netherland Technology BV (The Netherlands)
- Barna Steel SA (Celsa Group) (Spain)
- K1-MET