ArcelorMittal has invested in Electrified Thermal Solutions through its XCarb Innovation Fund.
The two companies have also signed a Memorandum of Understanding to trial electric heating and thermal energy storage technology.
Irina Gorbounova, head of the XCarb Innovation Fund, said: “Electrifying high temperature heating processes, and thereby reducing reliance on fossil fuel use in steelmaking, is a widely recognised challenge.
“Having scoured the market for companies looking to address this, Electrified Thermal’s patented technology stood out.
“They have made good progress in recent years, and we are investing at an important time in the company’s development as they look to move to commercial scale pilots.”
Electrified Thermal, a US-based company, has developed patented firebricks which form part of its Joule Hive Thermal Battery (JHTB) system.
The JHTB is a stack of firebricks in an insulated steel container and when electrified can store thermal energy at temperatures up to 1,700°C, before being discharged by running gas through it.
Joey Kabel, co-founder and CTO of Electrified Thermal Solutions, added: "We're thrilled to work with ArcelorMittal to explore integration of our technology into their operations.
“This collaboration has the potential to accelerate decarbonisation of the steelmaking process through electrification of existing infrastructure with minimal disruption and cost impact.”
Construction has begun on a 1MW/5MWh commercial demonstration plant at the Southwest Research Institute in Texas, with commissioning planned for the second half of 2025.
