A Multi-Scale View of Scalability Challenges in H₂-Based Ironmaking

Modern metals manufacturing relies on centuries-old techniques that we must now revisit in light of global challenges in environmental and resource sustainability. While steel is ubiquitous, its refinement currently contributes 8% of the global CO₂ footprint, 64% of which originates from ironmaking. Updating ironmaking processes requires careful studies of the fundamental science that complicates scalability and direct integration of those approaches with scale models. I will present my group’s work using <i>in-situ </i>X-ray and electron probes (diffraction and imaging) to directly resolve the kinetics and multiscale structural dynamics for H₂-based direct iron reduction. By mapping these dynamics from the atomic through μm-scales, we demonstrate we demonstrate the intricate and complex links between mechanics, chemistry, and mass transport give rise to complex chemistry. Our finding shed light on the complex reaction dynamics of this system, paving the way for important insights into the energy-landscape of carbon-free steelmaking that offer an important starting point for process models.