New technology in steel production
Steel is one of the world’s most important materials and is necessary, for example, for building bridges such as the Brooklyn Bridge (illustration), roads, railways, buildings, factories and power systems. Also the development of wind power and solar cell parks demands large amounts of steel. Therefore the International Energy Agency expects that in 2050, nearly two-and-a-half times as much iron and steel will be needed compared to today. If we do not adopt more environmentally-friendly manufacturing techniques, the greenhouses gas emissions from the steel industry will increase accordingly. Even today, iron and steel plants are responsible for nearly five percent of the world’s total greenhouse gas emissions.
So it is vital that iron and steel are manufactured in a less polluting process. All the major European steel manufacturers are members of the organisation ULCOS (Ultra Low Carbon Dioxide Steelmaking) which is working to reduce CO2 emissions in steel production. Steel is 100 percent recyclable, but the actual production produces high emissions. Since 2003, ULCOS has studied 80 different technologies for producing steel with lower emissions and has now zeroed in on four breakthrough technologies. These will be demonstrated in pilot plants in Germany and France.
