Hydrogen not only option for abating steel

Alternatives including CCS and biochar may offer steelmakers cheaper decarbonisation options, analyst Michael Liebreich says

Steelmakers are increasingly turning to hydrogen as a potential way to decarbonise, but it is often the most expensive option and should be weighed against at least four other viable ways to reduce emissions, says Michael Liebreich, CEO of Liebreich Associates. Multiple steelmakers are exploring the use of low-carbon hydrogen as a replacement for coking coal in the reduction of iron ore. Green steel and iron production could account for 40pc of total industrial hydrogen demand by 2050, oil major BP says in its latest Energy Outlook report. But the steel industry should also consider the use of CCS, carbon offsets, direct electric reduction and “biochar”—coking coal from biological sources—Li