Barrington: The history of modern direct reduction

One might be forgiven for thinking of direct-reduced iron (DRI) as an invention of green steel and the transition to carbon-neutral steelmaking. Not so!

Reduction of iron ore dates back thousands of years with the charcoal-based Bloomery furnace, which reduced iron ore in the solid state to sponge-like iron blooms, in effect a form of direct reduction (DR). Attempts to develop gas- or coal-based solid state reduction processes in the 18th and 19th centuries could not compete with scale and efficiency of blast furnaces.

Chris Barrington

Chris Barrington, an Industrial Chemist by education, has more than 50 years' experience in the international natural resources field, including 17 years in the global iron ore industry and 16 years in the industrial minerals sector. He purchased iron ore for British Steel Corp. and marketed Brazilian and Australian iron ore for Utah International (Samarco, Mt. Goldsworthy) and Swedish iron ore for LKAB. He was Managing Director of Fergusson Wild & Co. Ltd., a processor and distributor of industrial raw materials, subsequent to which he established his own minerals distribution business (sold in 2007 to the Prince Minerals group). He was manager of the REACH consortia for the iron and boron industries. He established the Zircon Industry Association and was its Executive Director until end 2016. He provided the Secretariat for the International Pig Iron Association and until end 2024 served as Chief Advisor to its successor, the International Iron Metallics Association where he was also interim Secretary General for four years.

Chris Barrington

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