Hydrogen plasma breakthrough may enable emission-free metal production
What's the story
Scientists at SINTEF, one of Europe's biggest independent research organizations, are making significant strides in the development of hydrogen plasma technology to create emission-free steel.
Kristine Bly, Master of Science at SINTEF, said that if successful, it could eliminate significant CO2 emissions from the metal industry and be a breakthrough for the green transition in steel production.
The global metal industry relies on coal to extract metals from ore, leading to significant CO2 emissions.
Clean alternative
Hydrogen plasma's unique properties drive emission-free metal production
The research focuses on how hydrogen plasma can replace fossil carbon in metal production, providing a cleaner alternative to conventional methods.
The researchers explained that ordinary gas isn't reactive enough for this, but heating hydrogen to very high temperatures transforms it into plasma, which is significantly more reactive.
This superheated state allows hydrogen to strip oxygen from metal ores far more efficiently than traditional methods, making the process nearly emission-free as it only emits water vapor as a byproduct.
Research phase
SINTEF explores scalability of hydrogen plasma technology
SINTEF's current research is focused on applying hydrogen plasma technology to the production of ferromanganese, a vital alloy used in steel manufacturing.
The researchers are exploring the scalability of the technology, the energy requirements, and its potential impact on the metal industry.
The HyPla project has already shown the feasibility of using hydrogen plasma to replace carbon in metal production via theoretical studies, laboratory experiments, and pilot-scale testing.
Broader impacts
Hydrogen plasma technology could reshape global supply chains
The transition to hydrogen plasma technology could have broader impacts beyond just cutting emissions.
It could reduce the demand for traditional reducing agents like metallurgical coke while possibly increasing the demand for renewable energy to power the energy-intensive plasma process.
Governments and institutions across the world have intensified their efforts to achieve net-zero emissions, and hydrogen plasma technology could be a significant breakthrough in this regard.