Steel production is one of the many mature industrial processes to improve when it comes to emissions.
Henrik Kettunen | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Sweden’s SSAB says it has “produced the world’s first fossil-free steel” and has begun delivering it to the Volvo group, its first customer.
The news represents the latest development of the Hybrit project, which was created in 2016 and is owned by SSAB, the energy company Vattenfall and LKAB, a mining and mineral group. Both Vattenfall and LKAB are owned by the Swedish state. The idea behind Hybrit is to use “100% fossil-free hydrogen” instead of coal and coke in steel production.
In an announcement Wednesday, SSAB described the delivery of evidence as an “important step toward a totally fossil-free value chain for the manufacture of iron and steel.”
Looking to the future, the goal is to develop the technology so that it can be demonstrated on an industrial scale. This is expected to happen as early as 2026.
“The world’s first fossil-free steel is not only a breakthrough for SSAB, but it represents proof that it is possible to make the transition and significantly reduce the global carbon footprint of the steel industry,” said Martin Lindqvist, President and CEO of SSAB. .
Steel production is one of many mature industrial processes to improve when it comes to emissions and other sustainability-related metrics. However, the challenge is great.
According to the International Energy Agency, the steel sector is responsible for 2.6 gigatons of direct carbon dioxide emissions each year. In 2019, this figure was higher than direct emissions from sectors such as cement and chemicals.
The IEA adds that the steel sector is “the largest industrial consumer of coal, which provides about 75% of its energy demand.”
Hybrit is not the only project that seeks to mitigate the effects of steel production. Another, H2 Green Steel, plans to build a steel production plant in northern Sweden which will be powered by a “green” hydrogen plant.
In February, the Swedish firm, which has the support of investors, including Spotify founder Daniel Ek, said production would begin in 2024 and would be based in the country’s Norrbotten region. By 2030 the goal is for the company to have the capacity to produce 5 million tonnes of steel a year.
Hydrogen can be produced in several ways. One method includes the use of electrolysis, with an electric current dividing water into oxygen and hydrogen.
If the electricity used in the process comes from a renewable source such as wind or solar energy, it is called “green” or “renewable” hydrogen.
In addition to steel production, aluminum manufacturing is another sector where renewable energy could play a role.
Earlier this year, German carmaker BMW said it had begun obtaining and using solar-powered aluminum.