Why everyone is talking about ‘green steel’ at COP26

And the most significant noise is therefore around green steel.

What is green steel?

Traditionally, steel is made using a classic blast furnace.

This emits an average of more than two tons of CO2 per ton.

As a result, the production of steel at the supplier level is CO2-free.

To strengthen the steel, you simply add the carbon separately.

vehicle made from green steel

It bonds into the metal rather than dispersing into the atmosphere.

Earlier this year, they made the worlds first hydrogen-reduced sponge iron at HYBRITs pilot plant in Lulea.

Mercedes car future of green steel.

While the production process differs from conventional manufacturing, fossil-free steel retains the properties of traditional steel.

It will use hydrogen produced with renewable energy from Swedens Boden-Lulea region and has scheduled production for 2024.

By 2030, H2GS expects to be producing five million tons of high-quality zero-emissions steel annually.

First, any use of hydrogen needs to be green.

Currently,less than 1% of hydrogen produced is green, but this is improving.

The WEFasserts:

We have a narrow window of opportunity to act.

But suppose these technologies arent brought to market quickly enough.

Therefore, the biggest downside to green steel is basically that not enough companies are committing to it.

Volvo has announced plans to build cars using steel made without fossil fuels by 2026.

Mercedes-Benz AGis the firstcar manufacturerto take an equity stake in H2 Green Steel (H2GS).

The company is actively retooling its supply chain to focus on preventing and reducing CO2 emissions rather than compensation.

But will green steel end up costing the end-user more?

We know R&D isnt cheap, especially in materials innovation.

I dont know about you.

But that sounds like a pretty good deal to me.

Cate Lawrence is an Australian tech journo living in Berlin.