SSAB, a global steel company, is doubling down on its campaign to promote sustainability practices by continuously improving its current line of steel products, while pushing forward with the development of the world’s first fossil-free steel.
In July, SSAB’s headquarter in Sweden rolled the first steel produced using HYBRIT technology, i.e., reduced by 100 percent fossil-free hydrogen instead of coal and coke, with good results.
The fossil-free steel from SSAB using hydrogen has been delivered to the first customer, the Volvo Group. The trial delivery marks an important step on the way to a completely fossil-free value chain for iron and steelmaking, and it is a milestone in the HYBRIT partnership between SSAB, LKAB and Vattenfall.
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“The first fossil-free steel in the world is not only a breakthrough for SSAB, it represents proof that it’s possible to make the transition and significantly reduce the global carbon footprint of the steel industry. We hope that this will inspire others to also want to speed up the green transition,” says Martin Lindqvist, president and CEO of SSAB.
“Industry and especially the steel industry create large emissions but are also an important part of the solution. To drive the transition and become the world’s first fossil-free welfare state, collaboration between business, universities, and the public sector is crucial. The work done by SSAB, LKAB, and Vattenfall within the framework of HYBRIT drives the development of the entire industry and is an international model”, says Minister of Trade and Industry of Sweden Ibrahim Baylan.
Sustainability Through Quality
SSAB’s steel such as Hardox wear plates have inherent properties that promote sustainability and can help curtail the negative environmental impact of steel-dependent industries such as mining.
They are proven to have industry-leading hardness and toughness, which help extend the service life of truck bodies, containers, and other equipment used in harsh environments like mine sites. This allows savings in both time and resources, leading to more efficient work processes that benefit the environment.
Hardox wear plates are also lightweight which contributes to less fuel consumption, greatly reducing carbon dioxide emissions in the long run.
Other benefits of using high-quality Hardox steels include the ability to streamline and, in some cases, downsize vehicle fleets.
“Hardox 450 has made our operations more efficient, leading to not only huge savings but also better yield using the same equipment,” says Zulfa Kurniawan, manager maintenance fixed plant of Berau Coal Energy, an Indonesia’s leading coal producer which utilizes Hardox 450 grade.
Fossil-Free Future
While SSAB has continued to improve its current steel products, fossil fuels used in steel manufacturing are still the main culprit for sky-high carbon dioxide emissions. SSAB is also hard at work in developing what the company believes will be the world’s first fossil-free steel.
SSAB’s achievement in technological strides in utilising hydrogen to replace fossil fuel-powered processes in manufacturing steel, and completely replacing fossil fuels in the steel industry contributes a positive effect on the environment. In the background, the steel industry currently accounts for 7 percent of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions. SSAB says the company is confident to be completely fossil-free steel by 2045.
Featured photo: SSA steels in mining and construction operations. Photo credit: SSAB.
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