The AST (Acciai Speciali Terni), Italian steelmaking company, proudly participated in the 11th edition of Made in Steel, one of Europe's premier events for the steel industry. Held from May 6 to May 5, 2025, in Milano, Italy, the conference and exhibition provided an ideal platform to showcase progress, share knowledge, and engage stakeholders on the urgent transition toward green steelmaking, a mission central to HEPHAESTUS.
A key highlight of the event was the final-day conference titled “Road to the Future: Decarbonising the European Steel Sector While Remaining Competitive.” This session echoed the central principles and goals of the HEPHAESTUS project: decarbonisation, circularity, and innovation across the steel value chain.
During the conference, Professor Carlo Mapelli of Politecnico di Milano outlined four main technological pathways to reduce CO₂ emissions: carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS); hydrogen; full electrification of the production process; and the use of biomass. Each of these approaches plays a role in Europe’s broader industrial strategy to meet ambitious 2030 climate targets.
Currently, blast furnace-based production still accounts for 56.3% of steel output in the EU—a method that emits 1,800 to 2,000 kg of CO₂ per tonne of steel. In contrast, electric arc furnace (EAF) technology, which dominates in Italy with around 80% of national steel production, emits just 100–200 kg per tonne. The transition from integrated-cycle plants to EAFs is therefore a major focus of Europe’s decarbonisation drive. By 2030, 28 new EAF installations are expected across the EU, with a combined capacity of 43 million tonnes annually. Many of these will incorporate pre-reduction plants to produce direct reduced iron (DRI) or hot briquetted iron (HBI), further enhancing efficiency and lowering emissions.
HEPHAESTUS is directly aligned with this transformation. The project’s core objective is to implement circular, clean technologies within steel production—specifically through the recycling of EAF dust and other metallurgical residues. The centerpiece of this innovation is a CleanTech electric furnace, designed to recover valuable metals such as iron, zinc, and critical raw materials (CRMs) like tungsten, vanadium, and silicon metal. These recovered materials can be reintegrated into the metallurgical process, supporting a closed-loop system.
Additionally, HEPHAESTUS addresses carbon capture challenges by developing a process to extract CO₂ from the furnace off-gases and convert it into useful chemicals such as methanol. This complex system involves gas purification, separation, compression, and storage—demonstrating how decarbonisation can go hand-in-hand with resource valorisation.
A consistent message throughout Made in Steel was clear: decarbonising steel is no longer optional—it is imperative. The urgency of climate goals, combined with geopolitical and economic pressures, calls for scalable, economically viable solutions. The HEPHAESTUS project is proud to be at the forefront of this transition, working alongside partners across Europe to demonstrate the technical feasibility and sustainability of a greener steel industry.
