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Carbon Footprint Assessment of Hydrogen and Steel

Author

Listed:
  • Julian Suer

    (Institute of Sustainability in Civil Engineering, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany
    Thyssenkrupp Steel Europe AG, 47166 Duisburg, Germany)

  • Marzia Traverso

    (Institute of Sustainability in Civil Engineering, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany)

  • Nils Jäger

    (Thyssenkrupp Steel Europe AG, 47166 Duisburg, Germany)

Abstract

Hydrogen has the potential to decarbonize a variety of energy-intensive sectors, including steel production. Using the life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology, the state of the art is given for current hydrogen production with a focus on the hydrogen carbon footprint. Beside the state of the art, the outlook on different European scenarios up to the year 2040 is presented. A case study of the transformation of steel production from coal-based towards hydrogen- and electricity-based metallurgy is presented. Direct reduction plants with integrated electric arc furnaces enable steel production, which is almost exclusively based on hydrogen and electricity or rather on electricity alone, if hydrogen stems from electrolysis. Thus, an integrated steel site has a demand of 4.9 kWh of electric energy per kilogram of steel. The carbon footprint of steel considering a European sustainable development scenario concerning the electricity mix is 0.75 kg CO 2 eq/kg steel in 2040. From a novel perspective, a break-even analysis is given comparing the use of natural gas and hydrogen using different electricity mixes. The results concerning hydrogen production presented in this paper can also be transferred to application fields other than steel.

Suggested Citation

  • Julian Suer & Marzia Traverso & Nils Jäger, 2022. "Carbon Footprint Assessment of Hydrogen and Steel," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(24), pages 1-20, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:15:y:2022:i:24:p:9468-:d:1002795
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Julian Suer & Marzia Traverso & Nils Jäger, 2022. "Review of Life Cycle Assessments for Steel and Environmental Analysis of Future Steel Production Scenarios," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(21), pages 1-22, October.
    2. Barati, Mansoor, 2010. "Energy intensity and greenhouse gases footprint of metallurgical processes: A continuous steelmaking case study," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 35(9), pages 3731-3737.
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    Cited by:

    1. Mengxuan Yan & Shen-En Peng & Chun Sing Lai & Si-Zhe Chen & Jing Liu & Junhua Xu & Fangyuan Xu & Loi Lei Lai & Gang Chen, 2023. "Two-Layer Optimization Planning Model for Integrated Energy Systems in Hydrogen Refueling Original Station," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(10), pages 1-16, May.

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