Green H-DRI for Steel

Green Hydrogen-Direct Reduced Iron (H-DRI) is a transformative decarbonization pathway for the iron and steel industry. It enables CO2 reductions of up to 95%, leveraging renewable electricity and hydrogen as feedstock. While tech-ready (especially hydrogen-ready DRI systems), key challenges remain: green hydrogen scaling, CapEx, ore quality, and infrastructure. However, a growing wave of projects mark the start of commercial rollout.

DRI is produced by reducing iron ore with green hydrogen (instead of natural gas or coke). The resulting sponge iron (DRI or hot-briquetted iron, HBI) is fed into an Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) to melt and refine it into virgin steel. Produces high-quality steel, suitable for: automotive, aerospace, ships & pipelines. DRI operates at 800–1,200 °C, often in shaft or fluidized-bed reactors.

Industrial Impact

• If scrap steel is limited, green H2-DRI + EAF is the only scalable low-carbon route for primary steel production (~0.2–0.4 t CO2 per ton if powered with renewables).
• DRI reduces iron ore (lumps/pellets/fines) below melting point (~800–1,200 °C) using a reducing gas, traditionally natural gas-derived syngas (H2 + CO).
• In green H2-DRI, syngas is replaced with 100% renewable H2, producing sponge iron and water vapor—no CO2 byproduct.
• Resulting iron (DRI or HBI) can be processed in EAFs to produce low-carbon steel.

Emissions & Efficiency Impact

• Deep CO2 reductions: Green H2-DRI cuts ironmaking CO2 by ~95% compared to blast furnace routes. Blast furnaces emit 1.8–2.1 t CO2 per ton, relying on coal/coke.
• DRI with natural gas already halves emissions; switching to green H2 eliminates remaining carbon.
• Requires significant renewable electricity—IEA estimates ~180 GW of clean power needed by 2050 for green H2-DRI in the EU.
• If scrap steel is plentiful, EAF recycling is still the cheaper and greenest route (~0.3 t CO2 per ton steel).

Supply Chain & Bottlenecks

• Green H2 supply: Requires electrolyzer capacity, renewable energy infrastructure, storage, and transport systems.
• CapEx & economics: Green DRI costs ~2× higher than conventional routes—hindered now but expected to scale.
• Ore quality needs: Lower-grade ores (e.g., Australian Pilbara) require beneficiation before DRI.
• Infrastructure readiness: Retrofitting existing plants or building new green-field ones demands grid/microgrid integration.
• Technological readiness: Fluidized-bed and hybrid DRI processes are being piloted, with R&D on nanostructures and waste heat recycling ongoing.