https://archive.md/Az3lu
"Making steel has long been defined by flying sparks and blast furnaces roaring
at temperatures hotter than molten lava. A startup backed by Amazon.com and
steel producer Nucor says it has a new process that works at temperatures
cooler than freshly brewed coffee.
Colorado-based Electra has begun producing iron plates that can be used to make
steel without consuming fuels such as coal, natural gas or hydrogen—an initial
step to potentially reducing the industry’s huge carbon footprint. The company
dissolves iron ore in a chemical solution, then runs electricity through it to
separate pure iron from impurities. The process runs at temperatures around 140
degrees Fahrenheit, a fraction of the 3,000 or so degrees needed for
conventional steelmaking.
The breakthrough escalates a potentially lucrative global race to clean up a
roughly $1 trillion industry that serves builders who erect everything from
apartment buildings to bridges. The main production method used today generates
roughly two tons of carbon emissions for every ton of steel, making the sector
account for about 10% of global emissions.
Consumers and governments are pressuring automakers to manufacture electric
cars with cleaner steel, a trend that is playing out across every industry.
That push is forcing steelmakers to accelerate green investments.
“The market is at an inflection point,” said Sandeep Nijhawan, Electra’s chief
executive. “There is more demand than what is available on the supply side for
these green products.”
Electra CEO Sandeep Nijhawan says potential customers are willing to pay a
premium for the company’s product.
The challenge for Electra and other startups is scaling up enough to make a
dent in an industry that churns out about 2 billion metric tons of steel a year
globally. After recently opening its pilot plant, Electra hopes to work on its
first big factory and produce 1 million tons in the U.S. by the end of the
decade."
Via
Fix the News:
https://fixthenews.com/dawn-solar-age-same-sex-thailand-nature-europe/
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
