Leading steel technology specialists discuss why decarbonising the industry is vital for climate change
Steelmakers pour liquid molten metal
An expert panel of speakers, including a Chief Scientific government advisor and world-leading steel research consultants, will deliver a free webinar this Friday (8 April) on decarbonising the steel industry.
The global steel industry accounts for more than 10% of CO2 emissions and is key part of meeting net zero climate change targets within the next few decades. According to the International Energy Agency, global demand for steel will rise by more than a third by 2050. As such, there’s now an increased focus on digital technologies and how these can be used to create a green steel industry.
The event will be introduced by Professor Philip Baker, Pro Vice Chancellor for Reseach & Enterprise at the University of Leicester, and will be chaired by Professor Hongbiao Dong, Director of the NISCO UK Research Centre. It will consist of three presentations - the first will be from Professor Paul Monks, Chief Scientific Adviser the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.
Professor Monks delivers independent and impartial scientific advice to Ministers and policy makers across a wide range of areas, including energy (such as nuclear (fission and fusion), geothermal and hydrogen), climate change, electric vehicles, medical radionuclides, space and national security. His role also covers advising on current and ongoing issues faced by UK businesses and industry, with recent focus on the critical role of science in supporting sustainable, resilient and measurable Net Zero and the challenges of delivering national and global decarbonisation.
Dr Martin Pei, Executive Vice-President and Chief Technology Officer at the Nordic and US-based steel company SSAB will then talk about his company’s transformation to fossil-free steel using HYBRIT technology. SSAB aims to be the first steel company in the world to bring fossil-free steel to the market in 2026. This involves replacing coking coal, traditionally needed for ore-based steelmaking, with fossil-free electricity and hydrogen.
The event will then be concluded with a talk on the solutions and paths to decarbonising steelmaking by Dr Joachim von Scheele, Global Director of Commercialisation at Linde Technology. Dr von Schéele is a well-known speaker and has published more than 200 papers, on energy and emission conservation, recycling, and production. He will discuss how steelmakers can take short-term steps with incremental and sustainable decarbonisation approaches that are already viable today before they start to apply hydrogen. He will also explain how mini mills, Flue-gas recirculation and fermentation technology, amongst other solutions, can all help to reduce carbon emissions.
Since 2004, Europe has been the global leader on CO2 reduction in the steel industry, with the launch of the ULCOS (ultra-low CO2 steelmaking) programme. Other countries in Asia have also launched net-zero carbon initiatives (Nippon Steel in Japan and PISCO in South Korea). Hydrogen technology and digital-enabled decarbonisation is, therefore, already starting to revolutionise the steel industry and, the event on Friday will look in more detail at how these technologies can be expanded further to meet climate change targets.
The second seminar on Decarbonisation for the Steel Industry will take place online on Friday 8 April from 10am-12pm. Please click here to register your place.