How can you make steel without carbon?

Instead of using carbon to remove the oxygen from ore, creating CO2, we can use hydrogen, creating H2O—that is, water. Many companies are working on this approach; this summer, a Swedish venture used it to make steel at a pilot plant.

Can you make steel without fossil fuels?

Swedish green steel venture HYBRIT says it has made the world’s first customer delivery of steel produced without using coal as it looks to revolutionize an industry that accounts for around eight per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Can steel be made with renewable energy?

The steel was produced using HYBRIT (Hydrogen Breakthrough Ironmaking Technology), which uses electricity from renewable sources to create the clean-burning gas. With this process, hydrogen replaces fossil fuels both in the manufacture of iron pellets and carbon purification process, Forbes reports.

Why is coke used in steel making?

Coke is used as a fuel and a reducing agent in melting iron ore. When coke is consumed it generates intense heat but little smoke, making it ideal for smelting iron and steel. Prior to the 1880’s, steel was produced using charcoal. By 1920, nearly 90\% of US steel was produced using coke.

Can steel be made with hydrogen?

There are two ways in which hydrogen can be used in steel production: as an auxiliary reducing agent in the BF-BOF route (H2-BF) or as the sole reducing agent in a process known as direct reduction of iron or DRI (H2-DRI).

Can steel be made using hydrogen?

Why does Australia not manufacture steel?

A combination of cheap imports, government policies, high costs, over-priced energy, the strong Australian dollar, high domestic transport costs and lack of new investment threaten to undermine the domestic steel industry.

Is there an alternative to coking coal?

Blast furnaces need coal, but there is an alternative technology called an Electric Arc Furnace (EAF). This is responsible for approximately 30\% of the world’s steel production and does not require coal.

Why is limestone added to the blast furnace?

Limestone is also used to remove impurities from the blast furnace when making iron. The impurities are mostly silicon dioxide (also known as sand). The calcium carbonate in the limestone reacts with the silicon dioxide to form calcium silicate (also known as slag).

How much coal does it take to make a tonne of steel?

around 770 kilograms
It takes around 770 kilograms of coal to make one ton of steel with approximately 70 per cent of global steel produced in basic oxygen blast furnaces.