Steelmaking is among the most polluting industries worldwide, producing millions of tons of CO₂ each year. But why does it have such a huge carbon footprint? In the first episode of The Basics of Green Steelmaking, Research Scientist Tomáš Studecký breaks down how steel is traditionally made and why the process is so energy-intensive.

Steelmaking is one of the most polluting industries in the world, responsible for millions of tons of CO₂ emissions every year. One of the most effective ways to reduce this impact is by increasing the use of scrap steel, since recycling requires far less energy than producing new steel from iron ore. But how does the recycling process actually work, and what role does it play in creating greener steel? In the second episode of The Basics of Green Steelmaking, Sebastian Scholl, Senior Research Engineer at Dillinger, one of Europe’s largest steel producers, takes us inside the world of steel recycling.

Melting iron requires extreme temperatures of around 1500 °C, but reaching such heat usually consumes enormous amounts of energy. So how can this process be done in a more sustainable way? One solution is the Electric Arc Furnace (EAF), a technology that uses powerful electric arcs to melt scrap metal efficiently while significantly reducing CO₂ emissions compared to traditional methods. In the third episode of The Basics of Green Steelmaking, Prithiv Thoudden Sukumar explains how EAF technology works, why it’s a game-changer for recycling steel, and how it fits into the future of greener, cleaner steel production.

Have you ever heard of gas metal arc welding or submerged arc welding? These are just two of the many welding techniques that play a crucial role in steel production, influencing everything from strength and durability to energy efficiency. Understanding these methods is essential for making steel not only stronger but also more sustainable. In the fourth episode of The Basics of Green Steelmaking, Rahul Sharma from RWTH Aachen University takes us through the world of welding. He explains how different techniques work, why they matter for the quality and stability of steel, and how innovations in welding are contributing to greener steelmaking.

Steel is known for its strength, but even the toughest material can fail under certain conditions. What’s fascinating is that the way steel breaks, whether in a brittle or ductile manner, can make a huge difference for the safety and reliability of bridges, buildings, and other critical infrastructure. This behavior is not random; it’s deeply connected to the microstructure of steel, which determines how it reacts under stress. In this episode of The Basics of Green Steelmaking, Carey Walters, Associate Professor at the Technical University of Delft, explains how microscopic changes in steel can influence its performance, why this knowledge is vital for engineers, and how it contributes to building safer and more sustainable steel structures.

A key goal of the MOWSES project is to ensure that steel made with higher amounts of recycled scrap is just as safe and reliable as steel produced through traditional methods. But how can we guarantee the quality and safety of recycled steel without slowing down production? In the sixth episode of The Basics of Green Steelmaking, Martin Müller from Saarland University explains how AI technologies are being used to analyse steel faster and more accurately than ever before, and how this contributes to making the steel industry more sustainable.