Steel and cement both produce large amounts of carbon dioxide but two new startups say they have a way to avoid most of it.
Compare those numbers to aviation, which accounts for about 2.5% of global carbon emissions and shipping at about 3% and it’s easy to see why decarbonizing steel and cement production is a priority if we hope to avoid the worst effects of an overheating planet.is a Colorado company that says it has found a way to make iron at 60º C — barely hot enough for a nice cup of tea — using intermittent renewable energy and low grade iron ore.
Most iron is made by heating iron ore to 1400º C in a coal-fired furnace. The carbon in the coal combines with the oxygen in iron ore to separate out impurities and unwanted oxygen atoms, releasing huge amounts of carbon dioxide in the process. Later, the iron goes through a series of steps to be turned into steel, but the iron-creation step accounts for 90% of the greenhouse gas generated by the entire process.
Because the Electra process works at such a low temperature, it can stop and start at will. That allows it to use renewable energy when it is abundant — and cheap — and stop the process when needed until the next supply of renewable energy comes available.in place of coal but, Nijhawan says, since hydrogen made from renewable electricity is still more expensive than coal, companies are forced to use high grade iron ore, which is a scarce — and expensive — commodity.
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