First-Ever ‘Green Steel’ Doesn’t Require Coal To Be Produced
Image via Hybrit
A Swedish alternative called Hybrit is delivering the world’s first “green steel,” produced without using any coal. The material will be tested by truckmaker Volvo AB before commercial production begins in 2026.
Volvo said it will trial the newly-developed steel in making prototype vehicles and components from this year.
According to The Guardian, steel production involving coal is responsible for 8% of global greenhouse emissions.
Hybrit, based in Lulea, northern Sweden, began test operations for “green steel” at its pilot plant last year. The company hopes to one day replace coking coal, normally used in ore-based steel, with renewable electricity and hydrogen.
Interestingly, Hybrit is partially owned by steelmaker SSAB, which accounts for 10% of Sweden’s and 7% of Finland’s greenhouse emissions. It’s heartening to see a major player in the region’s steel industry making a move to formulate an eco-conscious alternative. SSAB makes up one-third of the project, and it’s joined by mining firm LKAB, and energy company Vattenfall.
The firm said the trial with Volvo was an “important step towards a completely fossil-free value chain… The goal is to deliver fossil-free steel to the market and demonstrate the technology on an industrial scale as early as 2026.”
While Hybrit may have gotten a head-start, it faces competition from H2 Green Steel, another eco-friendly venture planning to build a fossil fuel-free steel plant in Sweden, with production slated to start from 2024.
For more information, check out Hybrit’s site here.
[via The Guardian, cover image via Hybrit]
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