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I feel like coal is really useful for new steel
by alexnewman 2y ago
I feel like coal is really useful for new steel
- hinkley 2y agoSteel uses so much carbon that it’s been a target for using hydrogen as a reducing agent. There are a couple ironworks that have already started converting. That’ll still leave concrete as one of the next largest sources, even if the rebar gets a smaller footprint.
- namaria 2y agoFun fact: carbon footprint was an expressions put forward by Exxon decades ago to shift blame for global warming to the consumers of energy.
- robertlagrant 2y agoWords aren't magically bad by their now-forgotten etymology, unless you keep bringing up said etymology.
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- namaria 2y agoDid I say a word is bad?
- christianqchung 2y agoYes
- HDThoreaun 2y agoconsumers are to blame for global warming. Companies are responding to what consumers demand.
- namaria 2y agoThat would be true if there had been zero effort and money spent in subsidizing fossil fuels, hiding data about its true long term impact for decades and sabotaging efforts to move away from carbon dependence.
- defrost 2y agoThere are two types of coal, metallurgical and thermal. Energy for steel production can come from coal, but doesn't need to, coal bound with iron to make steel is a different reaction to burning coal for energy. "Green steel" (as odd as that sounds) is an active area of research ATM, promising but there's a looong way to go to reduce the emissions from a billion+ tonnes of steel per annum (and concrete production and other resource processing).
- wffurr 2y agoElectrocatalytic production or using electrolytically produced hydrogen can also make new steel.
- gus_massa 2y agoOne of the biggest Steel mils here in Argentina had a dedicated forest with 30.000.000 eucaliptus to make the coal. So it's possible to use carbon-neutral coal. More details (Spanish) https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aceros_Zapla_S.A https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aceros_Zapla_S.A.
- jabl 2y agoYes. Already during the Roman empire the Ruhr valley was denuded as the trees were cut down to make charcoal for iron making. With modern technology we can do better, e.g. torrefaction produces bio-coal with about 90% of the original energy in the wood, but OTOH the scale is way beyond what was seen in the ancient world.