ArcelorMittal opens 200 million euro plant in Belgium that turns steel mill gas into ethanol using bacteria

ArcelorMittal has started operating a 200 million euro plant in Belgium that captures blast furnace gas from steel production and feeds it to bacteria. The microbes ferment the carbon monoxide into ethanol, producing 80 million liters of fuel alcohol per year. The process uses anaerobic bacteria instead of yeast and sugar, turning industrial emissions into a usable fuel rather than releasing them into the atmosphere. The plant is located within an existing steel mill and uses technology from LanzaTech. Instead of treating blast furnace gas as waste, the facility treats it as feedstock. The ethanol can be blended into transport fuel or used as an industrial chemical. The project is a concrete example of carbon capture and utilization at scale, though the overall climate impact depends on how the ethanol is used and whether it displaces fossil fuels.