Decarbonizing steel production with nuclear hydrogen (Spanish Edition)

Steel production accounts for more than 7 per cent of global carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions. That percentage is set to soar in the coming decades, along with a rising demand for steel, which is vital for sectors ranging from energy and transport to construction and consumer appliances. However, nuclear energy could help put steel production on a path to net zero. About two billion tonnes of steel are produced annually around the world. According to the International Energy Agency, steel demand is projected to rise by more than a third by 2050, mainly in developing countries. A growing number of global companies are looking for ways to decarbonize the energy-intensive industrial processes of this sector. The steel industry largely depends on coking coal to power blast furnaces, which turn iron ore into steel, a process that emits large quantities of CO₂. However, it is possible to create steel using a method called direct reduction of iron, in which hydrogen reacts with iron ore without melting and emits water vapour and no CO₂.