![]() Thus, the steelmaking industry is under great strain to improve its technology regarding the use of less raw materials, less energy consumption, lower emissions of particles and gas, and opening new routes for CO 2-lean steelmaking.Įlectrolysis of metal oxides for metal production arises as a greener approach to conventional extraction methods, offering advantages such as the absence of CO 2 emissions, non-polluting by-products such as hydrogen and oxygen gases, and lower electric energy consumption (13 GJ/ton of Fe against 19 GJ/ton ( Beer et al., 2000 Allanore et al., 2010b). Due to the demanding steel production rate, 3.0 billion tonnes of CO 2 emissions are estimated for 2050 ( Mousa, 2019). The resulting emissions account for about 7–9% of the global CO 2 emissions. Despite the associated CO 2 emissions, the BF-BOF is expected to continue to be the primary route for steelmaking in the upcoming years due to the high mass production capacity and cost-effectiveness (HORIZON 2020, 2020 Fan and Friedmann, 2021). The remaining 29% are related to non-coke-based technologies such as the Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) and the Direct Reduced Iron (DRI). The Blast Furnace coupled with a Basic Oxygen Furnace (BF-BOF) is responsible for 71% of the total steel production during the conventional carbothermic reduction of iron ores with coke to “pig iron” at high temperatures (1,500☌ and 1,650 ☌ when considering BOF). About 1951 million tonnes of crude steel were produced worldwide in 2021, with expected growth in the upcoming years ( World Steel Association, 2022). Thus, high investments in developing alternative technologies, preferably relying on renewable energy, are required. Large industries, like steel, face strong pressure to lower greenhouse gas emissions ( Elavarasan et al., 2022). The Sustainable Development Goals proposed by the United Nations General Assembly and the European Green Deal provide an integrated roadmap for making the World and EU’s economy more sustainable, emphasizing the role of transition to clean and renewable energy sources and carbon-neutral technologies. Overall, if scrutinized, this technology may become a breaking point for the steel industry sector. Factors affecting the Faradaic efficiencies of the alkaline electroreduction of iron oxide suspensions or iron oxide bulk ceramics are also explored, focusing on the concurrent hydrogen evolution reaction. ![]() A historical overview of the global steelmaking against recent developments and challenges of the novel technology is presented, and the fundamental mechanisms of iron oxide reduction to iron and alternative iron feedstocks are discussed. The present minireview discusses the progress on the electrochemical reduction of iron oxides in alkaline media as a green steelmaking route. Significant advantages of this technology include the absence of CO 2 emissions, non-polluting by-products such as hydrogen and oxygen gases, lower temperature against the conventional approach (∼100☌ versus 2000☌) and lower electric energy consumption, where around 6 GJ per ton of iron manufactured can be spared. In this scope, the electrochemical reduction or electrolysis of iron oxides into metallic iron in alkaline media arises as a promising alternative technology for ironmaking. Consequently, the steel sector is responsible for a large amount of CO 2 emissions, accounting for up to 9% of the CO 2 worldwide emissions. ![]() Traditional steelmaking industry still operates by the carbothermic reduction of iron ores for steel production. With a net zero carbon emissions target, European policies are expected to be accomplished before 2050. Steelmaking industries have been facing strict decarbonization guidelines.
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