Steelmaking Breakthrough Could Save Money and Emissions
British researchers have found a way to cut almost all the emissions from blast furnaces — while also cutting costs.
Traditional blast furnaces have extremely high carbon dioxide emissions.
Photographer: Wolfgang von BrauchitschBritish researchers have found a way to cut emissions of planet-warming carbon dioxide from steelmaking — and save money too.
Steel production accounts for about 7% of the world’s carbon emissions. It’s also fiendishly difficult to decarbonize due its reliance on coking coal to turn iron ore into its raw metallic form.
In a paper published in the Journal of Cleaner Production this month, scientists at the University of Birmingham in England proposed using a form of the mineral perovskite to recycle the carbon dioxide that steelmaking blast furnaces produce. If they can make it work at a large scale, the process could drastically cut the industry’s emissions, without the need for expensive new equipment or machinery.