"Double carbon" target promotes low carbon steel

China is the world's largest steel producer, with crude steel output accounting for more than half of the global crude steel output, accounting for about 11% of China's total carbon emissions. Scientific and technological innovation is an important driving force for development. To achieve green and low-carbon steel industry, we must change and optimize the traditional production mode.
When it comes to low carbon technology in the steel industry, we have to mention that hydrogen direct reduction ironmaking, which is commonly referred to as hydrogen metallurgy, is one of the recognized ways to achieve ultra-low carbon ironmaking. Hydrogen direct reduction ironmaking refers to the process of producing direct reduced iron by reducing solid iron ore (hematite, magnetite, etc.) with hydrogen. The direct reduced iron obtained under this condition contains many micropores, which are similar to sponges, and is also often called "sponge iron". Sponge iron has high activity and is easy to oxidize/burn in the air. In order to reduce the oxidation of sponge iron, sponge iron is usually pressed into blocky products to reduce its specific surface area and reactivity.
As the iron and steel smelting technology in China is mainly based on the blast furnace converter long process, that is to say, the blast furnace ironmaking process is the main carbon emission unit, accounting for about 74% of the total carbon emissions. Carbon, as a reducing agent and heat source, generates a large amount of carbon dioxide, so the key to emission reduction is carbon raw material substitution and process change. Therefore, it is an effective way to develop scrap recycling short process technology, oxygen enriched blast furnace, combined production of steelmaking, and utilization of residual heat and energy.
In the face of the demand for carbon reduction in the steel industry, policy and enterprise support are also indispensable.
Under the requirements of "carbon peak" in 2030 and "carbon neutral" in 2060, the carbon peak goal of the steel industry is preliminarily set as: to achieve peak carbon emissions by 2025; By 2030, the carbon emissions will be reduced by 30% compared with the peak, and it is estimated that 420 million tons of carbon emissions will be reduced. The Guiding Opinions on Promoting the High Quality Development of the Iron and Steel Industry jointly issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Ecology and Environment put forward that the implementation plan of carbon peak in the iron and steel industry should be implemented, and the coordinated governance of pollution reduction and carbon reduction should be promoted as a whole.
At present, more and more iron and steel enterprises have released the roadmap of reaching the peak of carbon and neutralizing carbon to promote the green transformation and development of the iron and steel industry. Through digital iterative upgrading, investment in new process equipment and technological transformation, energy efficiency management, and the coordination of supply chain services such as precision marketing and delivery of green products, green low-carbon procurement and logistics, and carbon footprint management, green manufacturing in the iron and steel industry continues to promote the deep integration of industrial innovation technology and steel green manufacturing process, and provides green intelligent manufacturing solutions covering the entire life cycle.