Second Seminar on Advanced Steel for a Green Planet Projects

The seminar featured several insightful presentations on the progress of the AS4G projects, highlighting advancements in sustainable steel production. The main themes covered during the event included:

H2IRON: Hydrogen-Based Steelmaking

The H2IRON subproject aims to replace fossil carbon with hydrogen as the reducing agent in steelmaking. This innovative approach is expected to significantly decrease CO2 emissions, contributing to a climate-neutral steel production process. Hydrogen, being a clean and renewable energy source, can be produced using solar energy or wind power, making it an ideal candidate for sustainable steelmaking.

SUSHi: Sustainable Hydrogen Production

The SUSHi subproject focuses on the fundamental understanding of sustainable production pathways for hydrogen through direct solar energy-driven photocatalysis and hydrogen-based iron ore reduction processes. By developing a process for producing hydrogen using solar energy, the project aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote the use of renewable energy sources in steelmaking.

ZeroWasteMill: CO2 Capture and Sustainable Cements

ZeroWasteMill explores the utilization of slags, which are waste products from steelmaking, for CO2 capture and the creation of sustainable cement products. This subproject aims to repurpose these waste products, thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions and promoting the sustainable use of by-products in the steel industry.

MAS4G: Metallurgy for Advanced Steels

MAS4G focuses on developing advanced steel products that are more energy-efficient and have a lower environmental impact. The project aims to innovate new metallurgical processes and alloys that can reduce the energy and resource requirements of steel production while enhancing the properties of the final product.

The seminar included the following notable presentations:

• Metallurgy for Advanced Steels for Sustainable Applications by Vahid Javaheri
• Microstructural Engineering of Medium Carbon Steels by Sumit Ghosh
• Latest Advancements on Intercritical Annealing of Medium Carbon Steels by Roohollah Aliabad Surki
• Advancements on Steel Slag Utilization by Juho Yliniemi
• In-Depth Characterization of DRI-EAFS by Means of a Multidisciplinary Approach by Marco Cantaluppi
• Improving the Utilization & Reactivity of EAF-DRI Slags by Damilola Adesanya
• Effect of Sonication on EAF Slag Dissolution by Recep Kurtulus
• Carbon-Free Steelmaking by Hydrogen Use by Ville-Valtteri Visuri

This seminar highlighted the university’s commitment to pioneering sustainable practices in the steel industry and showcased the collaborative efforts of its research units in driving innovation and environmental stewardship.