Assessment of the risks of using hydrogen instead of carbon-containing fuels in the ferrous metallurgy

Abstract

The Paris Agreement, adopted in December of 2015 at the 21st session of the UNFCCC Conference of the Parties and effected from November of 2016, coordinates the efforts of states to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, including carbon dioxide. One of its largest emitters to the atmosphere is the metallurgical industry. Among the proposed ways to reduce carbon dioxide emissions is the widespread use of hydrogen in the ferrous metallurgy. An overview of the problems that the ferrous metallurgy will face when replacing carbon-containing fuels with hydrogen is presented. It was noted that the use of hydrogen in the ferrous metallurgy contains such technological risks as high cost in comparison with currently used fuels and reducing agents; explosion hazard and corrosion activity, the need for a radical reconstruction of thermal units when using hydrogen instead of traditional for the ferrous metallurgy natural, coke and blast furnace gases, as well as solid fuels. It is shown that minimizing these risks is not always possible or economically feasible, and the result of using hydrogen in the ferrous metallurgy instead of carbon-containing fuel from the point of view of reducing greenhouse gas emissions may be low with a significant increase of economic and social risks.