Steel manufacturing is one of the most relied upon industries to support modern infrastructure and construction processes. Steel is one of the most popular materials used in the construction of bridges, many of today's climate resistant cities and transport methods, due to its durability and longevity. The steel manufacturing industry however, is one of the biggest polluting industries. The world produces over 1.6 billion tonnes of steel every year, and that number has been increasing. The environmental cost of this production process is enormous, accounting for more than 5 percent of the planet’s total carbon emissions according to a recent study.

Green steel is a promising future process that offers an effective alternative to combating the large environmental impact of steelworks. 

Green steel is a new steelmaking process that aims to lower the large greenhouse emissions traditionally associated with the steelworking process through a variety of technological innovations and methods.

The UK has a vast amount of scrap steel available, and using recycled steel dramatically lowers the costs and energy required to create steel in foundries and refineries. One of the most common processes for utilising scrap steel includes electric arc steelmaking. This involves using high-current electric arcs to melt steel scrap and convert it into liquid steel of a specific chemical composition and temperature necessary for useful manufacture. Currently about a quarter of the world’s steel is produced by electric arc steelmaking. If scrap steel production methods are powered via renewable means, this can serve to lower the environmental impact even further.

There are also development initiatives improving the usefulness of many of the byproducts of steel manufacture, such as slag, which can be separated out and combined to create other useful materials.

Methods are also being developed to replace traditional fossil-based steel production methods with green hydrogen. When burned, hydrogens only emission is water, making it a much cleaner alternative to fossil fuels. This is still the early stages of application in steel manufacturing, however the steel industry has been leading the way in terms of hydrogen technology. 

At Underwoods Steel, we manufacture steel products to the highest standard. If you require structural steel, fabrication services, ironmongery and more, we can help. We can also offer welding supplies such as gases and accessories. Get in touch with our friendly team for reliable steel products in Worcester today.