New Study Confirms Climate Benefits of Anferra’s Steel Waste Recycling

Anferra is pleased to share the results of a newly published environmental study, conducted in collaboration with AB SKF and IVL. The report evaluates the climate performance of Anferra’s process for recycling steel grinding sludge into ferric chloride. It was carried out as part of the Swedish Metals & Minerals Impact Innovation program – a joint initiative by the Swedish Energy Agency, Formas and Vinnova.

The study shows that Anferra’s process delivers a net climate benefit of around –350 kg CO₂‑equivalents per ton of sludge, the process has a lower carbon footprint than incineration and a comparable or lower footprint than the range of electric arc furnace (EAF) recycling scenarios. In other words, the report confirms that Anferra’s technology provides a significant climate benefit relative to current state-of-the-art methods.

The recycled ferric chloride performs on par with conventional production from virgin magnetite in terms of climate footprint – and could become even more advantageous if by‑products such as steam and abrasives are recovered and reused.

Life Cycle Assessment of Our Process:

Read the full study here: LCA of recovered ferric chloride from grinding swarf (IVL Report C10099)

Why this matters

The results provide important third‑party validation of Anferra’s technology and its environmental impact at an early stage. This adds a solid foundation for upcoming steps, particularly as Anferra prepares for large‑scale pilot implementation.

The project was carried out in collaboration with SKF, SSAB, Scania, Sydvatten, IVL and Chalmers Industriteknik, with funding and coordination from the Swedish Metals & Minerals Impact Innovation program. 

We thank our partners for their contributions and look forward to continuing this work to scale sustainable, circular solutions within the steel and chemicals industries.