HELIOS · The adoption of hydrogen metallurgy in the climate-neutral production of steel

The adoption of hydrogen metallurgy in the climate-neutral production of steel

Steel is the core of a modern, sustainable society – it is irreplaceable in green-energy technologies like wind, wave and solar, in the mobility sector and in constructions. Steel is also the backbone of sustainable growth, representing 95% of all the metal we produce. Europe is a major steelmaker, larger than both the US and Russia (incl. other CIS). It has about 500 producers in 23 EU countries, representing 330000 direct jobs, and 2.7 million direct, indirect and induced jobs. Steel is also the most recycled metal in the world. The beauty of steel is that it can be infinitely recycled, without loss of quality, and the residues and waste energy from its production are valuable resources for a circular EU economy. The current steel production is however responsible for 2.6-3.0 billion tonnes total annual emissions of CO2, accounting for 7-9% of the global CO2 emissions. As global average, around 1.85-1.92 tonnes of CO2 per tonne of crude steel is produced. 75% of the steel’s energy mix is coal-based, in particular in the BF-BOF route, where carbon is also used as a reductant in the BF process. Next to carbon capture, the direct avoidance of CO2 emissions through the hydrogen-based DRI production is an emerging technology for climate-neutral steel production. By replacing carbon with green hydrogen as a reducing agent, most CO2 emissions from the ironmaking process can be eliminated. In combination with renewable energy, it is the cornerstone for the future decarbonization strategy of the steel sector. The HELIOS Doctoral Network trains 10 motivated and talented Doctoral Candidates (DCs) in breakthrough technologies for the hydrogen-based production of green steel, including both carbon steel and stainless steel. The combination of state- of-the-art doctoral research projects, intersectoral secondments and supervision by leading companies and universities are the foundations of HELIOS’s success. The research objectives in HELIOS are: (1) Engineer processes and develop models to leverage the H-DR route to the same state-of-the art level as the BF-BOF route in Europe with respect to process, energy and resource efficiency as well as product quality; (2) Develop first-of-a-kind hydrogen plasma-based reduction processes for stainless-steel producers and their raw-material producers; (3) Develop metal-recovery processes for residues from steel production based on hydrogen and/or hydrogen plasma-based reduction; (4) Develop measuring and analysis tools and models to support the application of hydrogen-based processes in the carbon and stainless-steel production routes.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union