Replacing Coal and Coke in Steelmaking

with Renewable Biocarbon

March 2023
Aymium | Accelerating Decarbonization

• Developer and producer of advanced biocarbon products

from renewable feedstock
Aymium creates bioproducts that
replace fossil fuels and reduce
• Products are engineered as drop-in replacements for fossil emissions in large global
inputs with performance and environmental benefits
industries
• Operates largest advanced biocarbon facility in North
America with demonstrated commercial supply to +100
customers since 2012

• Holds leading global biocarbon intellectual property portfolio

with +300 pending patents

• Strategic partners and investors include Nippon Steel, Steel

Dynamics, Rio Tinto and Hokuriku Electric Power Company

• Actively developing +1 million TPY of new production capacity

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Engineered Biocarbon May Replace Coal and Coke Inputs
sintering blast furnace basic oxygen furnace

DRI electric arc furnace

fossil coal
and coke

. . . . with environmental and performance benefits

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Biocarbon May be Engineered for Superior Performance
• Biocarbon produced under highly controlled thermochemical processes
may be tailored to improve upon the performance of fossil inputs

• Fixed carbon content/volatile matter

• Reactivity

• Surface chemistry

• Calorific value

• Form and size including fine powders, agglomerated granules, and

pellets

• Durability

• Strength and grindability

• Ash and moisture content

• pH

• Inclusion of many types of beneficial additives

• Performance and environmental benefits without capital modifications

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Modification of Surface Chemistry

• Modification of temperature and reaction gas

composition to modify surface chemistry

• Ability to modify surface carbon functional

groups (C-O, C-C, C-H)

• Ability to modify surface levels of trace

mineral elements

• Ability to add surface agents to drive target

reactions

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Modification of Surface Structure
• Ability to modify micro, meso, and macro pore volumes, diameters,
and ratios

• Ability to modify crystallinity and graphitization

• Can change reactivity profiles and reactant interface

Micro Porosity Surface (<2 nm via
CO2 Adsorption)

BET (M2) Peak Diameter (nm)

Embodiment 1 55 0.4

Embodiment 2 340 0.54

Embodiment 3 512 0.71

Macro (>50 nm via Hg) and Meso (2-

50 nm via N2) Pore Volume

Pore Volume cm3/g

Meso Macro

Embodiment 1 0.01 0.46

Embodiment 2 0.14 0.57

Embodiment 3 0.51 0.62

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Modification of Particle Sizing

• Ability to modify particle size distribution in

powders and within densified embodiments

• Can change reactivity profile and reactant

interface

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Modification of Reactivity

Ability to Make Carbon Products More or Less Reactive

AYMIUM
Met Carbon

Met Coke

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Modification of Strength, Durability, and Grindability

• Ability to produce carbons with greater crush strength Ability to Increase PDI Superior to
and durability than coals Coal
Aymium Anthracite
• Ability to tailor Hargrove Grindability Index for target
ranges PDI 98.2 83.8

Ability to Increase Pellet Crush Strength

Superior to Coal Ability to Tailor HGI for Target Application

Sample Coal Crush Strength Aymium Crush Strength 140

No. lbs./F lbs./F
120
1 54 154
100
2 63 171
80

HGI
3 41 181 60 117
4 20 102 40 71
45 49
5 69 110 20 30
40

Average 49 144 0
1 2 3 4 5 6
Sample No.

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Reduction of Ash

Low Ash/High FC Ultra-Low Ash/High FC

Demonstrated
Reduction

Total Ash -47%

Al -46%

Fe -42%

Ti -34%

B -54%

K2O -38%

Na2O -50%

P2O5 -50%

N2 -54%

*Two similar quality samples (+93% fixed carbon) produced using same feedstock

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Demonstrated Performance Benefits of Tailored Biocarbon

Eliminates or Reduces
Improves Improves Reduces
reduces carbon
throughput quality energy costs
process costs input

Sintering X X X X X
Blast furnace X X X
DRI X X X X X
BOF X X X X
EAF X X X X
Based on +200 trials and use in the Americas, Asia, & Europe

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Engineered Biocarbon Requires Intellectual Property

• When moving from found inputs to

engineered products—intellectual property
+300 Patents Protect Aymium’s Biocarbons
matters

• Aymium holds the world’s largest biocarbon

High fixed carbon High calorific value
patent portfolio with over 300 issued and biocarbons (>50% fixed biocarbons (25 -34+ GJ/MT)
pending patents carbon)

Key compositional
• Patents protect products, equipment, and attributes including
processes Densified and
reactivity, volatile content,
agglomerated pellets and
oxygen content, pH,
powders
hydrophobicity, and CEC
• Patents specifically protect specifications for
and uses in metallics
Integration with biomass Use of many types of
• Patents protect process conditions and producers and end-users biomass feedstocks

enhancements that provide cost and

performance advantages
Inclusion of many additives Use for metallics including
• Broad applicability for varied product including minerals, organics sintering, blast furnace
and microbes addition, DRI, and charge
embodiments and applications provides clear and injection carbon
path for use

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BiocarbonBiocarbon
May BeMay
Produced atatScale
Be Produced Scale

Aymium’s Michigan Production Facility

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 . . . . And Used at Scale

. . . . And Used at Scale

Aymium’s Biocarbon Being Unloaded In Asia

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While Reducing GHG Emissions and Creating Value
EU ETS Price 3/10/23

• Biocarbon can accelerate

decarbonization initiatives

• Aymium’s use of self-generated

bioenergy further reduces life-cycle
environmental footprint and costs

• Third-party certified carbon negative

products per ISO 14040

• Savings of €326/metric ton* for

replacement of anthracite or met coke
at current pricing

*3.66 MT CO2/MT of carbon * .85 carbon/MT of anthracite/coke * €104.81 cost of CO2 = €326/MT of anthracite/coke

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Biocarbon Provides the Least Cost Large-Scale Decarbonization in Metals

• Drop-in products do not require capital Least Cost and Fastest Technology for Large-Scale
expenditure for use Decarbonization

Scale of Capital Operating Time for Technical

• Can be used immediately and do not require time
Reductions Expenditure Cost Adoption Maturity
for adoption
AYMIUM large none low none mature

• Lower operating cost and superior value in use to

fossil products Efficiency low medium low medium mature
Improvement

• Significant performance advantages Carbon Capture large large medium medium not mature
• Higher yield
• Reduced energy costs Shift to Scrap + large large large long mature
EAF
• Higher purity
• Reduced CO2, NOX, SO2, Hg DRI Optimization low medium medium short mature

• Potential for significant savings in territories that Hydrogen based large large high long not mature
tax carbon reduction

• Many alternative technologies benefit from use of Small scale large large medium long not mature
nuclear
biocarbon (EAFs, DRI etc.)

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