Fossil-free steel is the real “green” solution

As an official definition of green steel doesn’t exist, it’s only the technology and process development that are able to provide proof that a certain steel is sustainable. SSAB’s fossil-free steel making technology HYBRIT has virtually no CO₂ footprint, which makes it a real environmental game changer.

The revolutionizing technique is all about water. The water is split into hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen is used to remove the oxygen in the iron ore, which creates water. The water is returned to the process as a raw material to produce hydrogen. This creates a natural, closed cycle. No polluted water is being discharged, no carbon dioxide is emitted and the coal stays in the ground where it belongs.

3 reasons why fossil-free steel is the real “green” alternative

1. The process involves no fossil fuels or CO₂ emissions. In traditional steelmaking, the main source of CO₂ emissions comes from the use of coal and coke to remove oxygen from iron ore. By replacing this with a direct reduction process using hydrogen, coal is completely removed from the equation.
2. The only by-product is water – and even that’s debatable. When hydrogen replaces coal as a reduction agent, the only by-product is water instead of carbon dioxide. And even then, it’s not really a by-product, since the water is used to produce more hydrogen, thus creating a closed cycle.
3. Paves the way for complete CO₂ elimination. If the hydrogen used in the reduction process has been produced with fossil-free electricity, in other words, green hydrogen, then virtually all CO₂ emissions from production have been eliminated making it a truly fossil-free steel.