Prospects of Green Hydrogen as a Key Enabler for the Swedish Steel Industry
Publicerad
Typ
Examensarbete på kandidatnivå
Bachelor Thesis
Bachelor Thesis
Program
Modellbyggare
Tidskriftstitel
ISSN
Volymtitel
Utgivare
Sammanfattning
This study investigates the potential of using hydrogen produced with renewable
electricity to establish a new standardised pathway in the reduction of iron oxide
in the process of steel making. By analysing current projects, the latest research
as well as interviews with renowned professionals, this study offers insights into the
green shift of the steel industry and offers a brief look into the future.
Besides this, the thesis also delves into the process of proton exchange membrane
electrolyser, a promising method producing hydrogen with renewable energy. Discussion
of a potential bottle neck using limited rare earth metals along with recent
research proving the amount of catalyst used in the proton exchange membrane
might be very little.
The study concludes that PEM is a promising method, however currently it is not
economically profitable to utilise this electrolysis method because of the high investment
cost. Furthermore, it is concluded that if it possible to reduce the iridium
loading and replace expensive metals such as gold and titanium, PEM can potentially
replace the more commercially available alkaline water electrolysis in the future.
Steel manufacturing contributes to a large part of the Swedish economy but also
to the yearly carbon emissions. The method of reducing iron ore by hydrogen gas
have shown promising results, however the questions remains if the incentive is big
enough. To fundamentally change the industry would require contribution from
both the industry itself but also from the state. It would be a hefty investment and
presumably too expensive for the companies to handle without the help through
loans and political regulations.
In Sweden there are two large projects that are planing to produce green steel by using
hydrogen from water electrolysis in large scale. The thesis concluded that green
steel has potential to be the future for the steel industry, however the industry will
face challenges such as maintaining the supply of renewable electricity as well as the
necessity to change established infrastructure.