We’ve added a really useful report by the Coal Action Network to our Further Reading Page. ‘Coal in Steel – problems and solutions‘ takes a detailed look at the ways in which carbon emissions can be reduced by alternative methods that break the steel industries reliance on coal.
The report argues that decarbonisation can be achieved by:
Decarbonisation of the steel sector could be achieved through:
- increased use of electric arc furnaces and recycled scrap— already happening in the UK.
- using direct reduced iron production with green hydrogen in place of coke (which is produced from metallurgical coal). The HYBRIT project aims to do this at a commercial scale in Sweden by 2026, having made their first delivery of fossil free steel in August 2021.3
- reducing steel consumption through more efficient design of buildings, cars, energy infrastructure, and consumer products. Promoted by The Use Less Group at Cambridge University.
Employment, Energy and Environment 