The amount of carbon dioxide emissions from steel manufacturing is almost double the amount of steel created, which stands at 1.8 billion tons per year. It is thus paramount to clean up the steel industry if the world is to achieve zero carbon emissions by 2050.
In a bid to help us get closer to that goal, the world’s second-largest steel manufacturer, ArcelorMittal, has announced its plans to build what it says will be the “world’s first full-scale zero carbon emissions steel plant.” The new project of the company — which produced around five percent of the world’s steel supply in 2019 — is slated for completion by 2025 and is expected to already produce around 1.6 million tons of green steel by that time.
According to New Atlas, the plant will decarbonize two key steps in the steel production process. The first step will involve using green hydrogen for the reduction of iron, which is usually done with baked coal. The second step will involve building a renewable-powered hybrid electric furnace to substitute the conventional blast furnace, which is typically coal-fired.
