The commitment to limit global warming to a maximum of two degrees Celsius requires a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in all sectors. The steel industry is responsible for around 7% of global greenhouse gas emissions from the energy system. Several projects have, therefore, been initiated to minimize greenhouse gas emissions in steel production.
The carbon-based blast furnace-converter route (BF-BOF) is the most widely used primary steel production technology. In the long term, hydrogen-based direct reduction (H/DR) is a promising solution for avoiding greenhouse gas emissions. As a bridging technology, hydrogen can be (proportionately) substituted by natural gas (NG/DR). In addition to the potential to reduce direct greenhouse gas emissions, there are changes in the emissions of upstream stages of the value chain. Other ecological effects are also influenced. This must be quantified as part of a comprehensive assessment of environmental impacts.
A life cycle assessment (LCA) will be carried out for the relevant processes of low-CO2 steel production as part of a bachelor's thesis, student research project, or master's thesis. For this purpose, technical processes and interrelationships are to be identified and mapped based on the literature. Life cycle assessment methods will enable the evaluation of future process routes concerning various sustainability indicators. Knowledge of life cycle assessment is advantageous for working on this topic. Basic programming skills (e.g., Python) are also required.
If you are interested, please contact Yannik Graupner.