A new way to make steel could reduce America’s reliance on imports

Good news!

"... Now Hertha Metals ... is scaling up a new steel production system powered by natural gas and electricity. The process, which can also run on hydrogen, uses a continuous electric arc furnace within which iron ore of any grade and format is reduced and carburized into molten steel in a single step.

It also eliminates the need for coking and sintering plants, along with other dangerous and expensive components of traditional systems. As a result, the company says its process uses 30 percent less energy and costs less to operate than conventional steel mills in America. ..."

A new way to make steel could reduce America’s reliance on imports | MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology "Hertha Metals, founded by Laureen Meroueh SM ’18, PhD ’20, uses natural gas and electricity to produce steel and high-purity iron for magnets."

Thyssenkrupp vor dem Stahl-Deal? Indischer Investor Naveen Jindal (Jindal Steel) überrascht Aufsichtsrat

Empfehlenswert! Indien, die aufsteigende Supermacht!

Russlands Stahlindustrie vor dem Kollaps: Vom Premiumstahl zum Billigexport

Sehr empfehlenswert!

President Trump has exempted coal used in steelmaking from Biden-era Clean Air Act

Good news! Excessive environmental protection?

"President Trump has exempted coal used in steelmaking from Biden-era Clean Air Act regulations for two years, overriding a rule limiting the release of certain pollutants from coal-fed coke ovens."

"... When it issued the rule, the EPA estimated it would apply to 11 facilities, costing them about $500,000 each for compliance. The Trump exemption applies to 11 facilities. ...

The Environmental Protection Agency earlier this year set up a portal to make it easier for companies to request exemptions to Clean Air Act rules. 

Since that time, the Trump administration has exempted dozens of polluters from regulations, including oil refineries, coal plants and medical device sterilizers. ..."

Tuesday, November 25, 2025 - Join The Flyover

Trump exempts coal used in steelmaking from Clean Air Act rule

How China 'sabotaged' British Steel after years of jaw-dropping 'economic infiltration'

Recommendable! The camel's nose under the tent! Or to use a famous Lenin quote: “The capitalists will sell us the rope with which to hang them”

New flash Ironmaking Breakthrough Achieves Huge Productivity Boost

Good news!

Caveat: I was not able to find the research article by Zhang Wenhai! The mentioned journal does not even seem to exist or the name of the journal is incorrect.

"“After more than a decade of intensive research in China, a new ironmaking technology is poised to revolutionise the global steel manufacturing industry.

The method involves injecting finely ground iron ore powder into an extremely hot furnace, triggering an ‘explosive chemical reaction’, according to the engineers involved in the project.

The result is a display of bright red, glowing liquid iron droplets that rain down and collect at the bottom of the furnace, forming a stream of high-purity iron that can be directly used for casting or ‘one-step steelmaking’.

Known as flash ironmaking, the method ‘can complete the ironmaking process in just three to six seconds, compared to the five to six hours required by traditional blast furnaces’, wrote the project team led by Professor Zhang Wenhai, an academician of the prestigious Chinese Academy of Engineering, in a paper published in the peer-reviewed journal Nonferrous Metals in November.

This equates to a 3,600-fold or more increase in the speed of ironmaking. The new method also works exceptionally well for low or medium-yield ores that are abundant in China, according to the researchers.”"

New Ironmaking Breakthrough Achieves Huge Productivity Boost - Human Progress

China’s ‘explosive’ ironmaking breakthrough achieves 3,600-fold productivity boost "A new method for making iron is not only faster and cheaper, but also better for the environment, according to Chinese researchers"

A Novel Flash Ironmaking Process (by the US Department of Energy, 2019)

There is even a recent book about this subject (2023) Source

U.S. Senator Fetterman says he’ll work to block ‘absolutely outrageous’ US Steel sale to Nippon Steel

What a fool! What is this? Trade protectionism? Antagonising Japan? Sycophant to labor unions?

Fetterman says he’ll work to block ‘absolutely outrageous’ US Steel sale | The Hill

Japan's Nippon Steel to acquire U.S. Steel for $14.9 billion winning over three major rivals

This is big news!

"Japan's Nippon Steel clinched a deal on Monday to buy U.S. Steel (X.N) for $14.9 billion in cash, prevailing in an auction for the 122-year-old iconic steelmaker over rivals including Cleveland-Cliffs, ArcelorMittal and Nucor.

The deal price of $55 per share represents a whopping 142% premium to Aug. 11, the last trading day before Cleveland-Cliffs unveiled a $35-per-share, cash-and-stock bid for U.S. Steel. ..."

Japan's Nippon Steel to acquire U.S. Steel for $14.9 billion | Reuters

A Closer Look At China's Iron And Steel Production

Very recommendable! Have you ever heard of an entire steel melting plant being disassembled, shipped thousands of miles and reassembled? Or scrap metal fishing in a harbor area? What a job at a blast furnace!

On The Disastrous Steel Policy Of The EU

Posted:

A bit of history: European governments have been obsessed with and have managed the steel industry since the early 20th century. The earliest predecessor of the European Union was the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) created by the Treaty of Paris in 1951.

Caveat: I am not an expert of the steel industry nor the steel policy pursued by the EU and its predecessors

Today (5/22/2019), we learn that the second largest steelmaker of the UK, i.e. British Steel, went bust and will be put under government administration. Of course, this steelmaker was in trouble for years. However, as was pointed out (emphasis added): “The final trigger for British Steel’s collapse into administration, however, was not low steel prices but arguably a demand from the EU for £120 million worth of payments under its Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) – which is supposed to provide an incentive for heavy polluters to cut their carbon emissions.” (Source 1)

The other, very recent news was that the merger of ThyssenKrupp steel manufacturing and Tata failed. Again, reports suggest that the EU is to be blamed as well. “[T]he tie-up has been subject to an in-depth European Commission (EC) competition investigation.” (Source 2)

What about energy prices for businesses in the EU? Do EU consumers subsidize lower business energy prices by paying higher consumer prices? Or have the EU and member countries (particularly Germany) driven up energy prices for business by pursuing outrageous Climate Change policies? I am afraid, the latter is the case! Few examples: Why is fracking not more developed in the EU? Why are nuclear power plants not more developed or even shut off?  

So while in the past the EU and its predecessors emphasized the strategic importance of steel production in the EU and tried to manage the steel industry, in more times, preoccupied with environmental and antitrust zealotry, the EU is killing heavy industries like steel. In a global market of steel with cut throat competition, the EU Commission is doing obviously the wrong thing!

Always a huge mistake, when politicians try to manage businesses!

Sources:

1. The EU’s role in the demise of British Steel (dated 5/22/19)
2. Thyssenkrupp expects EU to block Tata steel merger (dated 5/10/19)