It is no longer necessary to prove to anyone the need to switch to “green steel production,” which is intended to make the production process more environmentally friendly. There are several directions in this direction. The first of these is now considered the most promising – the abandonment of carbon in favor of hydrogen. The carbon reducing agent is replaced by hydrogen in various ways.
A hydrogen-based direct reduction solution, which allows direct use of any type of iron ore, can virtually eliminate the carbon footprint in iron production. Carbon dioxide emissions will be close to zero. By-products will be recycled and the processes will be carried out with maximum energy efficiency.
Metallurgical giants such as ArcelorMittal, voestAlpine, SSAB, Dillinger and a number of other manufacturers have already started actively developing this technology. Japan’s Nippon Steel has declared its intentions to abandon carbon technology in favor of hydrogen by 2025. At the moment, there is no industrial plant of this kind, and when it is launched, it will work on a small scale for a while. Nevertheless, these developments are encouraging. Pilot production units are promised to be operational as early as 2021.