Hydrogen as a Sustainable Reducing Agent for Recycling Electric Arc Furnace Dust: A Kinetic Review

Electric arc furnace (EAF) dust, generated during the remelting of automobile scrap in EAFs, accounts for approximately 1–2% of the total charge. The EAF dust, containing heavy metals and fine particles, poses significant environmental and disposal challenges. Sustainable methods for recycling EAF dust are crucial for minimizing its environmental impact. Hydrogen-based reduction methods are emerging as alternatives to traditional carbothermic reduction, offering potential benefits in decreasing carbon emissions and utilizing renewable resources. This paper reviews the kinetics and mechanisms involved in hydrogen-based reduction of EAF dust. The review summarizes the critical parameters that determine the reduction kinetics, providing an overview of the chemical reactions and mechanisms underlying these processes. Emphasis is placed on reaction kinetics, including reaction rates, activation energies, and the influence of parameters such as temperature and gas flow rate. In addition, the kinetic models proposed in previous research have been investigated and compared, along with the impact of the operational parameters.