Globally, the steel industry accounts for ~ 11% of total CO2 emissions and it relies on coke (coal) to reduce iron ore, resulting in significant environmental pollution. Hydrogen metallurgy offers a cleaner alternative by using hydrogen as the reducing agent instead of coke, producing only water as a by-product. When the hydrogen is generated through water electrolysis powered by renewable energy, the process enables the production of sustainable steel with a near-zero carbon footprint. Hydrogen reduction of iron oxide is technologically and commercially deployed. However, ferroalloys - such as Fe-Cr, Fe-Ni, Fe-Mn, Fe-Mo and Fe-W - are usually added to molten iron in electric arc furnaces to create alloyed steels. Relative to iron, these alloying elements have a higher carbon footprint per unit mass, thus necessitating the decrease of their carbon footprint to achieve green steel production. The conventional fabrication uses an electric arc furnace to reduce mixed oxides (such as Fe2O3 and NiO) at very high temperatures while requiring the use of pure elements (Al and Si) as reductants, each with a high carbon footprint to produce. This research aims to demonstrate and investigate the co-reduction of mixed oxides with hydrogen to produce the ferro-alloys at near-zero carbon footprint. We are proceeding with a fundamental material-science investigation of mechanisms of H2-reduction of blends of iron oxide and other element oxides, and their effects on the resultant steel or ferroalloy microstructure and mechanical properties.

Related Publications

1. Maryam Al-Buainain, David C. Dunand, Sustainable Fe-Cr-Ni Stainless Steels via Hydrogen Reduction of Blended Oxides, ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, 2025, https://doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.5c02264.

Funding support

1. National Science Foundation (NSF)
2. Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF)