The continuous annealing of flat steel improves its properties for applications such as automotive manufacturing. Scheduling these processes on Parallel Heterogeneous Annealing Lines (PHALs) is complex due to diverse coil properties, incompatible process modes, and due date constraints....

This study provides the first global, plant-level analysis of technical and environmental efficiency in steel production using data from 143 mills across 50 countries (2019–2023). Using a Stochastic Directional Distance Function, we estimate plants’ distance to the frontier and compute...

Iron and steelmaking is the industrial sector with the highest absolute CO2 emissions covered by the European Union Emissions Trading System (EU ETS). This report aims to describe key developments of the sector in the period from 2005 to 2019. It identifies key drivers behind the trends in...

This study critically examines HYBRIT, a Swedish flagship project led by state-owned LKAB to produce fossil-free sponge iron using hydrogen from fossil-free electricity. Framed as central to EU's green transition, HYBRIT promised CO₂ cuts exceeding Sweden's total emissions but faced major...

The continuous annealing of flat steel improves its properties for applications such as automotive manufacturing. Scheduling these processes on Parallel Heterogeneous Annealing Lines (PHALs) is complex due to diverse coil properties, incompatible process modes, and due date constraints....

China's iron and steel industry, significant for national economic development, is notable for high energy consumption and carbon emissions. To balance industry growth with carbon neutrality goals, it is crucial to analyze emissions throughout production processes. This study begins with an...

This report presents some EUROPLEXUS simulations of thin steel plates with various types of pre-formed slits that have been tested in the SIMLab Shock Tube Facility (SSTF) at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim, Norway. The SSTF is able to generate a clean and...

The objective of providing European Climate Law-aligned pathways and the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) underpinning them is to offer a reference that companies can draw on to prepare their transition plans. By addressing an intermediate level between companies and the EU's economy-wide...

This study critically examines HYBRIT (Hydrogen Breakthrough Ironmaking Technology), a Swedish flagship project-led by the government-owned iron ore company LKAB-to produce fossil-free sponge iron using hydrogen from fossil-free electricity. Positioned as a cornerstone of the EU Green Deal and...

Nickel is essential for producing iron and steel. Endowed with the world's largest reserve, Indonesia banned nickel exports in 2014 to promote industrialization. This paper studies the impacts of the export ban on downstream steel-using industries. A three-sector model shows that, while the...

As a critical nexus for both grain production and carbon emissions, the synergistic development of the plantation system is of strategic importance for realizing China's "dual-carbon" goal, A comprehensive assessment of the decoupling status and its driving factors between these dimensions...

The EU steel sector can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 64-81 Mt CO2-eq. annually by 2050 through circular economy (CE) measures. CE can also significantly decrease EU demand for ores and energy products, leading to a EUR 7 billion annual increase in the EU trade balance with significant...

The EU CBAM is the EU's landmark tool to put a fair price on the greenhouse gases (GHG) emitted during the production of certain GHG-intensive goods, including iron and steel, entering the EU. It will ensure that the EU's climate objectives are not undermined and encourage cleaner industrial...

The Research Fund for Coal and Steel (RFCS) is a European Union fund that supports research and innovation in the coal and steel sectors. Within the coal sector, RFCS focuses on promoting a sustainable and environmentally friendly transition, supporting the development of new technologies and...

The 2024 assessments of the RFCS Technical Groups (TGA1-TGA5) confirm the steel sector's critical role in achieving EU climate and industrial goals. Projects demonstrate strong alignment with the European Green Deal and Clean Steel Partnership, advancing decarbonisation, circularity, and...

The steel industry in Pakistan includes both large firms in the organized sector and smaller manufacturers operating in the informal economy; however, the largest 20 companies cater to 80 percent of local steel demand. Contributing an estimated 2 percent to the country's Gross Domestic Product...

The Research Fund for Coal and Steel has made significant contributions to the European Green Deal and contributes through its steel-related research and innovation projects to the Clean Steel Partnership, the EU's new industrial strategy and the sustainable Europe investment plan. The fund's...

The Research Fund for Coal and Steel has made significant contributions to the European Green Deal and the Just Transition Mechanism through its coal-related research and innovation projects. The fund's portfolio of projects addresses key areas such as the creation of new jobs and retraining of...

Steelmaking represents one of the most carbon-intensive industries – second only to cement – and is responsible for 8% of global CO2 emissions. The creation of a market for premium, low-carbon emission steel products, or ‘green steel’, could serve as a means of generating revenue streams...

The steel industry is a major contributor to global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, accounting for approximately 7% of worldwide emissions. As steelmakers in the EU invest heavily in decarbonisation, the success of these efforts hinges on the market's ability to differentiate and reward...

Our European Union was built on a community of coal and steel. Today, this sector is a key building block of Europe's green and digital transition and defence capabilities, and more broadly of the EU's economic security and social stability.

This article proposes to take a fresh look at Germany’s colonial past and its key players in order to trace the particular influence of economy in colonial contexts. It presents the Gutehoffnungshütte (GHH) as a colonial actor outside the sectors typically explored in the context of the...

Industrial policy is on the rise. A key instrument used by governments is import licensing to protect domestic industries. However, evidence of its effectiveness is limited. Using customs and firm level data, we estimate the effects of the introduction of import licensing for iron and steel...

This study investigates hydrothermal carbonisation (HTC) of pulp-and-paper mill sludge to produce hydrochar and enable industrial symbiosis with steelmaking in Sweden. The assessment combines life cycle assessment (LCA) and techno-economic analysis (TEA) to evaluate environmental impacts,...

This study provides the first global, plant-level analysis of technical and environmental efficiency in steel production using data from 143 mills across 50 countries (2019-2023). Using a Stochastic Directional Distance Function, we estimate plants' distance to the frontier and compute shadow...