The production of steel traditionally relies on dirty energy and contributes to air pollution from burning coal and natural gas. Approximately 7% of global carbon dioxide emissions can be attributed to steel production.
However, researchers are working on steel production technology to provide a cleaner, greener alternative.
According to interesting engineering, scientists at Sintef, an independent research organization in Norway, focus on replacing carbon with hydrogen plasma to produce metals. Hydrogen plasma has unique properties that allow it to be more reactive than standard hydrogen after it is heated enough to transform into plasma.
In an overheated state, hydrogen can effectively undress oxygen from metal ores. However, hydrogen plasma releases only a by -product of water vapor. This makes the substance without pollution compared to conventional steel production, which relies on carbon.
“If we succeed in hydrogen plasma, we can remove significant CO2 emissions from the metal industry,” says Christine Bli, Master of Science in Sinf. “This may be a breakthrough for the green transition in steel production.”
Sintef researchers are hoping to scale technology to affect the metal industry. They specifically seek to apply it to ferromagnese, which is used in the production of steel.
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Researchers are optimistic that this new technology can lead to widespread production of metal without pollution if they can overcome energy consumption and challenges to costs.
Green hydrogen and renewable electricity have the potential to transform the construction industry and meet the global requirements without compromising the health of humans and our planet. Other research groups are working to make steel more resistant to the process of hybrids in Sweden and melted oxide electrolysis of Boston metal.
Sintef is hoped that the transition from carbon to hydrogen plasma will affect global supply chains. Researchers believe that this technology can reduce the demand for a metallurgical coke and increase the demand for the renewable energy used to power the plasma process.
They have encouraged more studies and innovations in this field to make the technology of hydrogen plasma economically viable.
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With profitable clean energy, governments and institutions are better positioned to achieve their clean energy goals. Meanwhile, people living near steel production facilities would have a healthier air to breathe less pollutants and toxins from production processes.
Sintef researchers also recommended close cooperation between the steel industry and governments and financial support through grants and incentives to reduce the initial weights of companies. Once applied, companies will need to train their workers to use the new technology, and educational institutions need to adapt their curricula to prepare future workforce.
Finally, they pointed out that this study comes from Norwegian socio-economic perspective and that global economic effects can be mixed, at least for now.
“Norway has a positive impact on the added value and employment, but globally sectors such as a decline in coke and coke production due to the reduced demand for coke, such as Denmark, Brazil, Nigeria and the US,” the researchers wrote.
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