Scientists tell how to make steel without coal using electricity

Steel production could become much more environmentally friendly thanks to a discovery by scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Former MIT scientists founded Boston Metal to reform the steelmaking process using the electrochemical method.

Here's What We Know

The traditional method of steel production uses a blast furnace and coal and is extremely harmful to the climate due to the large amount of greenhouse gas emissions. However, a new electrochemical process developed by Boston Metal has the potential to reduce this burden by releasing only oxygen as a by-product.

This process uses modular cells to electrolyse molten oxides, allowing them to be broken down into pure liquid metal. The technology is expected to reach commercial scale in 2026, with a plant in Brazil already successfully using the technology.

According to the researchers, this breakthrough in electrochemical steelmaking could usher in a new era in the fight against climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and contributing to more sustainable and environmentally friendly production technologies.

Source: BGR