Letter to the Editor: Why not look at new steel production tech?
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Electric vehicles get the majority of the news headlines these days as the world desires to lower its carbon footprint regarding air emissions. However, the steel that goes into making a vehicle is a critical component that appears to be completely overlooked in the process. Steelmaking is one of the most carbon-emission-intensive industries in the world.
It is estimated 7-10% of the world's CO2 emissions come from steel production. However, it's not just vehicle manufacturers that use steel. Steel is a vital component in the infrastructural needs in our society: bridges, buildings, rail, rebar with any cement use, and much more. Thus any technology that reduces air emissions in steelmaking will also significantly reduce iron and steel globally.
Steelmaking was commercialized on a massive scale during the late 14th Century. The current method of steelmaking is a significant source of CO2 emissions thus should drive the world's desire to invest in fossil-free technology. Fossil-free steel technology will more than likely initially cost more than steel made via the conventional method. However, this cost gap will narrow as rising carbon taxes get implemented around the world. Becoming fossil-free is a challenge the world continues to struggle with.
The main raw material used in steel production is iron ore. To make pure iron, one has to first remove the oxygen from the iron oxide. In conventional steelmaking, blast furnaces use coal as a reduction agent to accomplish the task. Carbon from the coal bonds with oxygen from the iron, resulting in carbon dioxide emissions. If one were to bypass the blast furnace step by using hydrogen produced from water, which uses electricity from fossil-free energy sources to remove oxygen from the iron, it would result in no C02 emissions since the only by-product would be water.
To move forward, one would need to conduct a feasibility analysis regarding the cost of fossil-free steel vs the traditional steel making process to retrofit existing steel plants and build new steel plants. It is imperative that the world address the steel making factories in China, India, other third world countries for that is what drove out much of the steel industry in the U.S. because of their less stringent pollution regulations; thus cheaper steel.
Why is the conventional way of steel production not being challenged by developing a new technology based on 100% reduction with hydrogen? To get there the world must collaborate to develop an innovative new solution if it wants to pursue its path to a greenhouse-gas-emission-free future. Political views need to be set aside and the focus needs to be placed on the technology/science as to what initiatives really need to be completed first, second, etc.
Henry Sasyn
Vienna