CO2 emissions from the Japanese steel industry are about 180 million t per year. NEDO, in collaboration with Kobe Steel, JFE Steel Corporation, Nippon Steel Sumikin and Nissin Steel completed four test runs of a verification test of CO2 emissions in the world’s largest test blast furnace (capacity 12 m3) built in a steelworks premises. In the test, CO2 emissions from blast furnaces were separated and reduced by using hydrogen as a reducing agent for iron ore. CO2 emissions of the steelmaking process were reduced by approximately 30%, and this technology shall be introduced gradually in steelmills until 2030.

NEDO news release, February 23, 2018