How engineers are decarbonizing steel with hydrogen and electric furnaces

The steel industry, historically reliant on carbon-intensive blast furnaces fueled by coke and coal, is undergoing a significant transformation to reduce its substantial CO₂ emissions, which currently total around 2.6 billion tonnes annually—about 7-9% of global emissions. Traditional steelmaking produces roughly 2.3 tonnes of CO₂ per tonne of steel, largely due to coal use. Despite high recycling rates, the industry's scale necessitates a fundamental shift in production methods to meet emerging carbon regulations, investor pressures, and market demands for "green steel." The International Energy Agency (IEA) emphasizes the need for a 25% emissions reduction by 2030 to align with net-zero goals by 2050. Two key technologies are driving this decarbonization: electric arc furnaces (EAFs) and hydrogen-based direct reduced iron (DRI). EAFs, traditionally used for recycling scrap steel, are now being adapted for primary steel production by melting sponge iron instead of relying on