Austrian steelmaker Voestalpine, a globally leading steel and technology group, is now offering a CO2-reduced edition of all flat steel products manufactured by the company's steel division in Linz, Austria.
The company claims that the direct emissions generated during the manufacture of its greentec steel Edition products have been reduced by around 10% as a result of 'an innovative raw materials mix and even more efficient processes'.
According to voestalpine, several customer orders are currently being processed and, it is claimed, there are signs that there will be significant demand for 'greentec steel edition' products going forward, especially as hot-rolled steel strip, isobar electrical steel and phs-ultraform.
Herbert Eibensteiner, CEO of voestalpine, said that the company is currently working at full speed at its Linz and Donawitz sites 'to develop technical scenarios which will drive forward the decarbonization of steel production'.
"By manufacturing and supplying CO2-reduced steel, we have achieved an important first milestone on the path to green steel production by 2050."
Herbert Eibensteiner, CEO of voestalpine AG
Directly saving 10% of the carbon emissions compared to conventional production methods is achieved by modifying the reducing agent and the charge, explains voestalpine, as well as by maximizing the share of scrap, and converting to green electricity. Continuously applying optimization measures will successively reduce carbon emissions, gradually approaching the inherent limits of the process, says the company. At the same time, voestalpine claims that it maintains its high-quality standards.
Moving forward, voestalpine's phased plan will include the partial replacement of the existing blast furnace route with a hybrid-electric steel pathway, which could reduce carbon emissions by around a third by 2030. Liquid pig iron and sponge iron (HBI)will join scrap as the most important pre-materials for tomorrow’s carbon-neutral production of high-quality steel, claims voestalpine. In parallel, the company is intensively researching so-called 'breakthrough technologies' in order to increase the use of green hydrogen in the steel production process over the long term and achieve carbon-neutral steel production by 2050.