India is the second largest steelmaker in the world, having produced 118.2 million tonnes in 2021. However, steel production releases significant amounts of carbon dioxide, making the decarbonisation of the industry essential for India to meet its climate commitments.
One potential solution is to use hydrogen in the process of separating iron from iron oxide, replacing the use of carbon. However, scientists have found that this substitution makes the separation reaction much slower due to a previously unknown reason.
Researchers from Germany have suggested creating a “microfracture structure” on the feedstock to improve the process, allowing hydrogen to enter and continue removing oxygen.
The researchers have highlighted the need for further scientific research to address challenges such as reduction kinetics and the high cost of hydrogen reactants to enable the widespread application of hydrogen direct reduction production.