Researchers from the University of Birmingham have created a closed loop recycling system that they believe could come close to totally decarbonising the steelmaking process.

The system captures CO2 from the furnace using a perovskite lattice which turns the CO2 into CO and oxygen. The oxygen can be separated from the perovskite and reused in the blast furnace to produce steel.

The researchers claim the closed loop system could replace 90% of the coke typically used for steelmaking.

Professor Yulong Ding who was part of the research team said, “an electric arc furnace plant can cost over £1bn to build, which makes this switch economically unfeasible in the time remaining to meet the Paris Climate Agreement. The system we are proposing can be retrofitted to existing plants, which reduces the risk of stranded assets, and both the reduction in CO2, and the cost savings, are seen immediately.”

The University of Birmingham has filed a patent application for the system and its use in metal production and are hoping to find long-term partners to help deliver pilot studies.