A method and system for operating a seal gas compressor utilized in a direct reduction process including: monitoring a pH level of a water stream used in the seal gas compressor, wherein the pH level of the water stream is affected by a reformer flue gas stream that comes into contact with the water stream, wherein the monitoring step is carried out one or more of upstream of the seal gas compressor and downstream of the compressor; and adjusting the pH level of the water stream to maintain the pH level of the water stream within a predetermined range based on feedback from the monitoring step. The method includes maintaining the pH level of the water stream upstream of the seal gas compressor in a range between 7.5 and 10 and maintaining the pH level of the water stream downstream of the seal gas compressor in a range between 7.8 and 9.5.

A method of operating a metallurgic plant for producing iron products includes the following steps, wherein the metallurgic plant includes a direct reduction plant and an ironmaking plant, the metallurgic plant: feeding an iron ore charge into the direct reduction plant to produce direct reduced iron products, operating the ironmaking plant to produce pig iron, wherein biochar is introduced into the ironmaking plant as reducing agent, and whereby the ironmaking plant generates offgas containing CO and CO2, and treating offgas from the ironmaking plant in a hydrogen enrichment unit to form a hydrogen-rich stream and a CO2-rich stream. The hydrogen-rich stream is fed directly or indirectly to the direct reduction plant. The CO2-rich stream is converted to be valorized in the direct reduction plant.

A corresponding metallurgic plant is also related.

A method for operating a metallurgical furnace and a simplified way of providing synthesis gas for a metallurgical furnace, includes the following steps performing a combustion process outside the metallurgical furnace by combusting a carbon-containing material with an oxygen-rich gas to produce an offgas, which offgas is a CO.sub.2 containing gas; and combining the offgas, while having an elevated combustion-induced temperature due to the combustion process, with a hydrocarbon-containing fuel gas to obtain a first gas mixture having a temperature above a reforming temperature necessary for a reforming process, preferably a dry reforming process; the first gas mixture undergoing the reforming process, thereby producing a synthesis gas containing CO and H.sub.2, the reforming process being performed non-catalytically; and feeding the synthesis gas into the metallurgical furnace.

A method for operating a blast furnace, including collecting a blast furnace gas from the blast furnace, the blast furnace gas being a CO.sub.2 containing gas, combining the blast furnace gas with a fuel gas to obtain a gas mixture, the fuel gas being a hydrocarbon containing gas, subjecting the gas mixture to a reforming process, thereby producing a synthesis gas containing CO and H.sub.2; and feeding at least a portion of the synthesis gas and an oxygen-rich gas into the blast furnace, where the blast furnace gas is combined with the fuel gas while containing substantially the same amount of CO.sub.2 as when exiting the blast furnace and wherein the blast furnace gas is combined with the fuel gas in an over-stoichiometric ratio, so that the synthesis gas contains a surplus portion of the blast furnace gas.

A modular direct reduction system for producing direct reduced iron (DRI) includes a reformer system which receives a flow of feed gas and which discharges a flow of reducing gas, the reformer system including a plurality of separate reformer modules connected together and wherein each reformer module includes a reformer vessel including an internal chamber, a reactor tube extending through the internal chamber of the reformer vessel and containing a catalyst configured to react with the feed gas received by the reactor tube to form the reducing gas, and a burner to burn a fuel gas to heat the reactor tube, and a furnace system connected to the reformer system and including a furnace having a first inlet which receives an iron ore, a second inlet which receives the reducing gas from the reformer system to form the DRI, and an outlet which discharges the DRI.

According to embodiments, disclosed is a method and system to maintain the soft and sparse slag characteristic favorable for an electric arc to efficiently transfer the energy to molten iron with the power input per furnace area higher than 600 KW/m2 while keeping FeO amount less than 5% in the slag and carbon amount higher than 2.5% in the product hot metal at a DRI melting furnace.

A method for operating a blast furnace for producing of pig iron, includes the following steps heating a first stream of steam in a first heater, before or after having been mixed with an oxygen source selected from oxygen and oxygen-enriched air, to provide a first heated stream of oxygen-enriched steam; heating a first stream of blast furnace gas from the blast furnace and a first stream of natural gas in a second heater, before or after being mixed together, to provide a heated carbon feed stream; feeding the first heated stream of oxygen-enriched steam and the heated carbon feed stream either as a combined stream or separately to a catalytic partial oxidation reactor to produce a stream of syngas; and feeding the stream of syngas to the shaft of the blast furnace.

A method of direct reduction of iron (DRI) is disclosed, the method comprising generating metallic iron by removing oxygen from iron ore using a reducing gaseous mixture with excess carbon monoxide that produces an excess CO.sub.2 by-product is provided. CO.sub.2 by-product is optionally sequestered. A system for carrying out the method is also disclosed.

A direct reduction plant is disclosed. The direct reduction plant includes an oxygen injection system, a reformer, and a shaft furnace. The oxygen injection system includes an oxygen injection reactor and a main oxygen burner. The oxygen injection reactor is adapted to receive a gas mixture. The main oxygen burner is adapted to increase a temperature of the gas mixture by burning a mixture of fuel and oxygen fed to the main oxygen burner. The reformer is adapted to reform the gas mixture with the increased temperature. The shaft furnace is adapted to reduce iron ore using the reformed gas mixture.

Provided herein are novel devices, systems, and methods of using the same, that enable plasma-enhanced gasification of biogenic hydrocarbon waste material comprising: a geometrically designed reactor having a biochar carbon catalyst bed, together with a gas inlet system disposed around a lower section of the apparatus to supply oxidant gas generated by an integrated oxygen absorber system; to enhance the partial oxidation of biogenic hydrocarbon waste materials using exothermic heat generated by an oxidation reaction created in part by the integrated oxygen absorber system into the apparatus, in order to optimize the quantity and quality of hydrogen production in the synthetic gas produced therein.