Steel is probably the most common material used in our day to day lives. This manmade metal can be seen everywhere: from musical instruments to surgical instruments, from toy cars to real cars, from railway carriages to the buildings we live and work in, steel is all around us. Our requirement and demand for steel is unlikely to change for decades.
The process to produce steel requires considerable energy, which is typically generated by burning fossil fuels, producing copious polluting carbon emissions, and contributing heavily to global warming and climate change.
As we focus on Low Carbon and net zero strategies, to ensure the sustainable future of manufacturing here in the UK, and world-wide, we must all become more innovative. Recently, a metal-making company in Sweden produced the first fossil fuel-free steel. This ‘green’ steel was produced using ground-breaking scientific methodology and using electricity from renewable sources to create the clean-burning gas required.
Producing steel without the use of fossil fuels will be a game-changer for the industry, which is currently responsible for about nine percent of carbon dioxide emissions worldwide. It is hoped that this exciting new green technology will be widely available by 2026.
We must all do everything we can to address our climate emergency, as individuals, consumers and manufacturers, by understanding and committing to new sustainable technologies, carbon accounting, carbon reduction, and carbon offsetting.
Engineering a Greener World: to find out how we can make it straightforward and cost effective to help you decarbonise your business operations, and make the journey from Low Carbon to net zero, please feel free to call Pro Enviro for an informal chat on 01788 538150