NZ Steel and CarbonScape ‘Green Coke' Initiative

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News Release
Release Time: Immediate

Date: 11 February 2013

New Zealand Steel and CarbonScapeTM partnering on ‘Green Coke’ initiative

New Zealand Steel has signed a future supply agreement with Marlborough based clean-tech company CarbonScape.

A trial shipment of green coke is planned for 2014, which New Zealand Steel will use as an additive in its steel making operation at Glenbrook to reduce carbon emissions.

CarbonScape has developed a microwave process for converting forestry waste into high value carbon products, including metallurgical coke. Following successful trials, a scaled up production plant is being built to deliver commission samples. CarbonScape is presently securing investment to enable expansion to commercial production.

The collaboration has been encouraged by BlueScope Steel in Australia, New Zealand Steel’s parent company, which has been studying options for the reduction of reduction of C02 utilising biomass.

New Zealand Steel and CarbonScape are also exploring other options for utilising its patented microwave technology in steel making, including high temperature plasma processing.

President of New Zealand Steel, Mr Simon Linge said, “New Zealand Steel is a company that was founded on innovation, and continuously looks for innovative ways to minimise any impact New Zealand Steel may have on the environment. This includes currently producing approximately 60% of its own energy requirement via an onsite co-generation plant and support a pilot plant for Auckland based biofuel pioneer, LanzaTech at the New Zealand Steel Glenbrook site. We look forward to progressing a similarly creative collaboration with CarbonScape.”

About New Zealand Steel

New Zealand Steel Limited is the country’s sole producer of flat rolled steel products for the building, construction, manufacturing and agricultural industries. It operates a fully integrated steel mill at Glenbrook, about 60 kilometres south of Auckland. Using locally sourced ironsand, lime and coal, New Zealand Steel produces around 600,000 tonnes of steel each year using a direct reduction process, turning west coast black sand into metallic iron. New Zealand Steel is part of the BlueScope Steel group of companies. For more information visit: www.nzsteel.co.nz

About CarbonScapeTM

CarbonScapeTM is based in the Marlborough region of New Zealand. They have developed a process for converting low cost biomass (for example waste saw dust from timber processors) into valuable finished products using microwave technology. For more information visit: www.carbonscape.com

ENDS

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