STK0149 – CO2-free steelmaking – How to achieve it?

Description

Sessions:18 Mar, 2025, 13.00 UTC.

Estimated Time: 1 hr

Language: English

Summary of the lecture

The global steel industry faces major challenges in reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to meet the climate targets set out in the 2015 Paris Agreement. This steelTalk will explore the three main technological pathways toward zero CO₂ steel production:

Circular Economy (CE) – Maximizing material recovery and steel scrap recycling.
Smart Carbon Use (SCU) – Reducing CO₂ emissions by modifying existing steelmaking processes and utilizing captured carbon.
Carbon Direct Avoidance (CDA) – Replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy sources such as hydrogen.

Transitioning to zero-carbon steel comes with significant challenges, including high investment costs, infrastructure needs, and resource availability. Prof. Dr. Johannes Schenk, an expert in ferrous metallurgy, will provide valuable insights into the role of process modifications, carbon capture, and renewable energy in this transformation.

What you will learn:

Understand the three main technological pathways for achieving zero CO₂ steel production: Circular Economy (CE), Smart Carbon Use (SCU), and Carbon Direct Avoidance (CDA).
Recognize the key challenges in transitioning to zero-carbon steel, including high investment costs, infrastructure requirements, and resource availability (green electricity, hydrogen, and high-quality scrap).
Analyze the role of process modifications, carbon capture, and renewable energy in reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the steel industry.

Speaker Introduction

Johannes Schenk
Univ.-Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr.techn. / Ferrous Metallurgy
Montanuniversitaet Leoben

Johannes Schenk holds a PhD in Process Engineering from the Graz University of Technology. He started his career in 1990 at Voestalpine Industrieanlagenbau (now Primetals Technologies Austria) as a process and research engineer focusing on alternative ironmaking technologies such as MIDREX, COREX and FINMET. From 1992 to 2007, he was General Manager and Vice President of R&D, leading the development of the FINEX process.

Since 2008, Schenk has been a full professor of ferrous metallurgy at the Montanuniversitaet Leoben. From 2015 to 2023, he was also Chief Scientific Officer of the Austrian metallurgical competence centre K1-MET GmbH.

His research focuses on primary steelmaking technologies, in particular ironmaking and crude steel production. Current projects focus on CO2-reduced steelmaking and recycling. Schenk has authored more than 180 papers in peer-reviewed journals and conference proceedings and is an inventor or co-inventor on more than 30 patent families.