A cleaner future
Steel as an industry dates back over a century, but it is by no means stuck in its ways.
The UK iron and steel industry aims to be carbon-neutral by 2040. A £35 million research network has been set up to collaborate with Swansea, Sheffield and Warwick universities on a seven-year programme.
The initiative is part of a commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 80% compared with 1990 levels.
The programme will include looking at untapped energy sources looking at the way steel is made, methods of capturing emissions, re-processing waste and developing new products.
This programme is funded by a £10m investment from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, and the rest from steel companies, trade bodies and the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales.
The general feeling is that steel manufacturing is already on the path to cleaner, greener and smart steelmaking, but this is the next step. It is also believed that creating cleaner steel will increase jobs – so it’s a win win for the future.
- 10th April 2019