Comment on Green steel plant glugs out first ton of molten metal
SkybreakerEngineer@lemmy.world 5 weeks agoRight there in the article.
Joining other efforts to decarbonize the steel-production process such as those using hydrogen to refine iron ore, Boston Metal has pioneered a process known as molten oxide electrolysis (MOE).
This method of producing the metal involves combining iron ore with an electrolyte in a reactor and then using electricity instead of coke to heat the mix to about 1,600 °C (2,900 °F). Doing so causes electrons to split the bonds in the iron ore to purify it while outputting only oxygen. Not a single molecule of carbon dioxide is released during the process.
JohnDClay@sh.itjust.works 5 weeks ago
Does induction smelting still release CO2 somehow?
Cort@lemmy.world 5 weeks ago
Depends on how it’s powered. If the electricity comes from burning coal (coke) or methane, that would emit co2. If it runs off solar/hydro/wind it would only emit co2 from any carbon trapped in the iron ore that manages to burn instead of becoming incorporated into the steel.
SkybreakerEngineer@lemmy.world 5 weeks ago
The CO2 comes from adding the coke to make steel, not getting the thing hot