Hydrogen to be used to decarbonise steel: Japan Steel Federation

The Japan Iron and Steel Federation (Jisf) said that it supports and contributes to Japan’s ambitious policy of 2050 carbon neutrality policy.

Last month it published a policy of the country steel industry for carbon neutrality in 2050, and it stressed the use of hydrogen. It acknowledged that decarbonising the steel industry can be challenging and can be achieved by drastically reducing CO2 emission at the blast furnace stage by using gases with carbon capture, utilisation, and storage (CCUS) and hydrogen direct-reduction steelmaking.

“There is no solution other than hydrogen reduction steelmaking,” the association highlighted the importance of hydrogen in steelmaking. However, a large and inexpensive stable supply of zero-emission hydrogen and zero-emission power is indispensable for zero carbon emission steel.

Several steelmakers in Germany and Korea are already reducing emissions through a hydrogen reduction steelmaking method that uses hydrogen, by replacing coal, to make steel.

JISF is committed to promoting the CO2 Ultimate Reduction System for Cool Earth 50 Development (COURSE50), which aims to cut 30% CO2 emissions from production processes by using hydrogen for iron ore reduction and collecting CO2 from blast furnace gas. The first production unit is to begin operations by about 2030. The goal is to widen the use of these technologies by 2050 in line with the due up-gradation of existing blast furnace facilities.