This Zero-Emission Steel is a Game Changer

This article contains paid promotion for SSAB.

SWEDISH steel company SSAB has unveiled a new type of zero-emission steel based on recycled material, and made using clean energy.

Called SSAB Zero™, it follows the recent launch of SSAB Fossil-free™ steel, which is made from iron ore.

According to SSAB, the new steel SSAB Zero has the same quality as the traditional material, without the carbon emissions.

And it doesn’t rely on deceptive compensations like carbon offsetting or mass balance allocation to get there.

That’s because SSAB Zero is made from recycled raw materials. These were originally produced using coal and other fossil fuels but the process to create the new steel is emission-free.

This could help speed up the green transformation of the steel industry, which is one of the heaviest polluters and accounts for around 7% of global CO2 emissions.

SSAB’s emission-free steels are made in two ways: from iron ore — using hydrogen instead of a blast furnace — and recycled steel, which uses an electric arc furnace.

SSAB Zero allows electric arc furnaces to be used without producing any carbon emissions.

Green steel on the rise

This could be a game changer, particularly in the biggest steel-producing countries.

In the US, for example, 70% of all the steel that’s made is done using scrap-based production in arc furnaces. If even a fraction of that production was switched to this method that doesn’t use more fossil fuels, it could help lower the construction industry’s notoriously high carbon emissions.

The steel industry as a whole continues to expand, with the global market projected to grow from just over USD $1,300BN in 2021 to more than $1,700BN by 2030.

But the market for green steel is set to increase at a far steeper rate.

Valued at $83M in 2021, the sector is predicted to reach a staggering $386BN by 2031.

Above: SSAB Zero™ is the first commercial steel of its kind. Image courtesy of SSAB.

SSAB Zero will be available during 2023, and large industrial companies have already signed delivery agreements.

“We see increasing customer demand for steels with low emissions,” said Martin Lindqvist, SSAB’s president and CEO. “By further enhancing steelmaking processes, we will provide a comprehensive offering with zero emissions while reducing the impact on the planet.”

The aim is to deliver 40,000 tonnes of SSAB Zero steel to the market in 2023, ramping up to around 100,000 tonnes in 2025.

Discover how SSAB makes steelmaking sustainable here.