Inevitable Forging Sustainable Steel with Electra
Sep 28, 2023
Sandeep Nijhawan and Quoc Pham, founders of startup Electra, tackle the complex issue of steel decarbonization. They discuss the intricacies of current steel production, the US approach to decarbonization, and pathways including point-source carbon capture and hydrogen utilization. Electra's pioneering electrochemistry method shows promise in sustainable steel production.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Why Ironmaking, Not Heat, Drives Steel Emissions
- Steel is ~98% iron and most emissions (~90%) come from the ironmaking chemistry, not just heating; blast furnaces emit ~2 tons CO2 per ton steel.
- Heating is ~10% of ironmaking emissions; the rest comes from using carbon to remove oxygen from ore in integrated blast furnaces.
US Has A Head Start Because It Recycles Steel
- About 70% of global steel is made via integrated blast-furnace routes, while ~30% uses electric arc furnaces (EAF) recycling scrap; the US is ~70% EAF and has a decarbonization head start.
- Recycling availability explains regional differences: developed markets with scrap streams favor EAF, developing nations rely on integrated mills.
Hydrogen Steel Faces Ore And Storage Bottlenecks
- Hydrogen and carbon capture are mainstream decarbonization routes but have hidden scaling limits: H2 routes need high-grade ore, continuous 24/7 heat, and massive H2 storage/infrastructure.
- Upgrading ore concentrates impurities into tailings and requires big new logistics and capex that complicate hydrogen adoption.