Iran Gains Self-Sufficiency in Producing Valuable Type of Steel Industry's Catalyst
The project, which was implemented with the aim of indigenizing the technical know-how of one of the most complex catalysts used in the heat treatment industries and in cooperation with a technology company and the Faculty of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering of Sharif University of Technology, has ended the country's steel industry's dependence on importing this type of catalyst.
“Heat treatment catalysts are among the most complex products used in Iran, which were previously only supplied through foreign companies. The formulation and industrial application of these catalysts requires a high level of specialized knowledge, and with the efforts of the company's specialists and the cooperation of steel companies, we succeeded in completely localizing this knowledge and taking an effective step towards self-sufficiency in the steel industry,” said Ehsan Ebrahimi, the managing director of the technology company.
He also underlined continued cooperation with Sharif University of Technology, adding, "The development and completion of the technical knowledge of this project will be pursued in the form of joint research projects with the Sharif Faculty of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering."
In a relevant development in October, Mobarakeh Steel Company of Isfahan, which has implemented an innovative project based on nanotechnology to recycle and create value from industrial waste, had also succeeded in receiving the 2025 World Steelie Award in the ‘Excellence in Environmental Sustainability’ section.
In this project, which was carried out in cooperation with the knowledge-based ‘Fadak Exir Steel’ company and supported by the Iran Nano and Micro Technologies Innovation Council (INIC), industrial sludge and oxide powders from rolling lines are converted into valuable iron concentrate. This indigenous project, which uses nanotechnology, UV radiation, and a closed water cycle system, converts over 30,000 tons of waste into recyclable material annually.
Mobarakeh Steel Company of Isfahan succeeded in winning the top title of ‘Environmental Sustainability’ at the 16th International Steelie Awards 2025. This award, which is given by the World Steel Association (Worldsteel), the most prestigious steel industry organization in the world, was given to the innovative project ‘Converting Industrial Sludge into Strategic Value’; a project that has demonstrated a successful model of green industry by relying on nanotechnology, ultraviolet (UV) radiation, and water recycling systems.
In this project, hot rolling clarifier sludge and cold rolling oxide powders, which were previously known as industrial waste, are converted into economically valuable iron concentrate. The implementation of this indigenous technology has not only prevented environmental pollution, but also led to the annual recycling of more than 30,000 tons of industrial materials and reduced water consumption in production processes.
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