Hydrogen – Metso opens Circored pre-reduction pilot plant in Frankfurt, Germany
Metso Corporation’s press release on September 10, 2025 at 3 p.m. EEST
Metso has inaugurated its Circored™ pre-reduction pilot plant in Frankfurt, Germany. The investment reflects Metso’s commitment to advancing low-carbon technologies and supporting the global transition to fossil-free steelmaking.
The Circored™ pilot plant, which is based on Metso’s proprietary technology, enables continuous pre-reduction using hydrogen as the sole reducing agent. It integrates pre-heating, reduction, gas cleaning, and recirculation systems for hydrogen and dust, and features electric heaters to support nearly zero-carbon operation.
Parizat Pandey, Director, Direct Reduced Iron (DRI) at Metso, says:
This pilot plant is a significant step in demonstrating the readiness of the Circored™ technology,
“It allows us to validate process parameters and support our customers in their transition to low-carbon steelmaking”.
In the CircoredTM pilot plant, a wide range of iron ore types can be tested, providing process data for engineering future commercial-scale plants. It also helps define the operating window for different ore qualities.
The CircoredTM direct reduction process can be integrated with Metso’s DRI Smelting Furnace or other smelting technologies. Both CircoredTM and DRI Smelting Furnace technologies are part of the Metso Plus – Opens in a new window offering.
Find out more about the CircoredTM technology on our website – Opens in a new window.
Further information, please contact:
Parizat Pandey, Director, Direct Reduced Iron (DRI), Metso, tel. +49 172 6873563, email: parizat.pandey(at)metso.com
Heidi Valle, Vice President, Communications and Public Affairs, Metso Corporation, tel. +358 20 141 3406, email: heidi.valle(at)metso.com
Metso is a frontrunner in sustainable technologies, end-to-end solutions and services for the aggregates, minerals processing and metals refining industries globally. We improve our customers’ energy and water efficiency, increase their productivity, and reduce environmental risks with our product and service expertise. We are the partner for positive change.
Metso is headquartered in Espoo, Finland. At the end of 2024 Metso had close to 17,000 employees in around 50 countries, and sales in 2024 were about EUR 4.9 billion. Metso is listed on the Nasdaq Helsinki. metso.com
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Hydrogen – Metso opens Circored pre-reduction pilot plant in Frankfurt, Germany, source
