This story was originally published byGrist.
Despite ongoing supply chain hiccups and inflation, demand continuesgrowingglobally, particularly in Asia.
But even as demand for this essential material climbs, so too does the pressure to decarbonize its production.
A view of U.S. Steel Edgar Thomson Steel Works along the Monongahela River, March 10, 2018 in Braddock, Pennsylvania.Photo: Drew Angerer (Getty Images)
Regional jobs supported by traditional steelmaking are expected to fall by 30 percent in the same period.
The industry generates7.2 percent of all carbon emissionsworldwide, making it more polluting than theentireEuropean Union.
However, only 30 percent of U.S. production uses this method.
The scrap is melted in anelectric arc furnaceand uses hydrogen, rather than coke, to process iron ore.
It requires less energy than traditional methods, particularly if renewable energy powers the furnace and generates the hydrogen.
The quest for green steel isnt just an ideological matter, but a question of global economic power.
The Ohio Valleys fabled steel mills may be looking, if cautiously, toward a decarbonized future.
It invested$36 millionin Boston Metal this year.
Historically, you would have built a steel plant near a coal mine, he said.
Now youre going to be building it where you have clean power.
This article originally appeared inGristathttps://grist.org/energy/steel-built-the-rust-belt-green-steel-could-help-rebuild-it/.
Grist is a nonprofit, independent media organization dedicated to telling stories of climate solutions and a just future.
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