Techno-economic evaluation of hydrogen production technologies for iron ore reduction

The global iron and steel industry, dominated by coal-dependent blast furnace technologies, contributes 7% of global CO 2 emissions. This poses a greater challenge for countries such as Uganda, which possesses abundant iron ore reserves but lacks domestic coal, leading to a heavy reliance on imported steel and hindering its industrial development. This study aimed to identify the most viable hydrogen production technology to enable sustainable and decarbonized iron ore reduction in Uganda by conducting a techno-economic evaluation. A systematic review ranked common hydrogen production technologies based on NASA's technology readiness level (TRL) scale (1−9). Process flow diagrams and mass or energy balances were simulated using Aspen Plus® V10 for a hydrogen production rate of 20 kg·h −1 . A techno-economic analysis model was developed to calculate the levelized cost of hydrogen (LCOH) and assess its adaptability to Ugandan constraints. TRL rankings confirmed that steam methane reforming (SMR), alkaline electrolysis (AE), and proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolysis are the most mature technologies, with TRLs of 8−9 (SMR), 6−7 (AE), and 6−7 (PEM). These technologies accounted for 16.81%, 13.65% and 20.87% of the publications analyzed, respectively. Economic analysis further showed that PEM offered the lowest LCOH at 1.88 $·kg −1 compared to AE at 4.53 $·kg −1 and SMR at 2.81 $·kg −1 . Sensitivity analysis demonstrated PEM's strong performance under operational variations (90 °C, 20 bars) and its capability to produce 99.99% pure hydrogen without complex gas purification, which qualifies it as the most promising technology for Uganda's green steel industry. PEM's low LCOH, operational flexibility, and compatibility with renewable energy provide a feasible pathway to exploit domestic iron ore and hydropower/solar resources, thereby reducing CO 2 emissions and dependency on steel imports.