ArcelorMittal will be the company of the future

ArcelorMittal is a giant in the steel world, and when you see images of those gigantic furnaces, you do not immediately think of ecology. And yet, ArcelorMittal strives for a more sustainable process and therefore joins the URBCON project. A solid partner since they supply source materials for the clean concrete of our project. This way, we strive together for fewer emissions and better reuse of raw materials.  We went to hear from Eric, LIS Project Manager at ArcelorMittal.

Eric: "I am LIS Project Manager, LIS stands for Low Impact Steel. We produce steel with a low impact on the environment. We aim to give carbon a second life, preferably an eternal one, in order to create a circular economy. A big challenge, we know. ArcelorMittal Europe has committed to reducing CO2 emissions by 30% by 2030, with a further ambition to be carbon neutral by 2050, in line with the EU Green Deal and the Paris Agreement. As Europe's largest steel producer, with operations in blast furnaces, electric arc furnaces, and direct reduced iron in as many as seven different countries, we have an important role to play in contributing to the EU's green ambitions. With the right support, reducing carbon emissions is certainly achievable. And at URBCON we have found that support."

"Steel has the potential to be made without carbon emissions. But that will not happen without the right policies. The time is now, and we cannot afford to fail." - Aditya Mittal CEO ArcelorMittal Europe 

Eric: "Making steel production carbon neutral is complex and will cost billions of euros. To make our operations carbon neutral, we need to move away from relying on energy from fossil fuels in primary steel production (based on iron ore) to using 'clean energy' - in the form of clean electricity and circular carbon. Carbonation of our metallurgical slag is also a topic that has been pushed forward. What is that exactly? Metallurgical slag is the residue that is released when producing steel.  You have to calculate, if you produce, say, 5 million tonnes of steel, you have also produced 1.5 million tonnes of slag. That is a lot, which is why we have been in contact for some time with various professors who are carrying out specific research. We were looking for new outlets, as it were, that are legally permitted."

"This is where URBCON comes up in our story. Through URBCON we are trying out the carbonation of the slag at various companies. You know that concrete has a fairly large footprint, almost as large as that of steel. If we succeed with our slag in achieving a CO reduction of 2/3rds in concrete, that is of course only good for the image of our product, and at the same time we get rid of those metallurgical slags."

Steel ambitions! 

Eric: "ArcelorMittal's ambitions reach further than you can imagine. Our biggest ambition is to be a new and more environmentally friendly product. Therefore, the use of all by-products, all gases, and carbon is at the top of the to-do list. Despite our enormous motivation and drive, being climate neutral by 2050 is not possible for us. If you ask me whether there are ready-made solutions for everything, my answer is, unfortunately no. However, there must be an ambition to reuse as much as possible. After all, there are untold millions of us on this planet, and if we don't do something about it, we're going to drown in our own filth. In short, the ambition is there, but the technology is not quite there yet. But I am counting on the future generation to come up with some amazing ideas. It has happened before in history; when humankind looks for something, it often arrives at something completely different. Something with great potential, as was the case with penicillin and Bakelite, for example. 

"With steel at our core, our inventive people inside URBCON, and an entrepreneurial culture at our heart, we will support the world in making that change."