Abstract Scope |
Iron production is the single most significant contributor to global warming. Reducing iron ores with fossil carbon creates 7-8% of all global carbon dioxide emissions, for making nearly 1.9 billion tons of steel every year. This challenge fuels efforts to utilize renewable, carbon-free reductants. We discuss here an approach to produce sustainable steel by reducing iron oxides with ammonia [1].
Ammonia is a 180 million ton chemical traded yearly, with established logistics and low liquefaction costs. It can be produced with green hydrogen and then release it again. We demonstrate that ammonia-based iron oxide reduction progresses via an autocatalytic reaction, is kinetically as effective as hydrogen-based direct reduction, yields the same metallization, and can be industrially achieved using existing technology.
1. Ma Y, Bae JW, Kim S, Jovi M, Li K, et al. 2023. Reducing Iron Oxide with Ammonia: A Sustainable Path to Green Steel. Adv. Sci. 2300111:1–7 |