{"id":449602,"date":"2023-06-15T06:30:00","date_gmt":"2023-06-15T04:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/innovationorigins.com\/?p=449602"},"modified":"2023-06-15T06:30:00","modified_gmt":"2023-06-15T04:30:00","slug":"are-microstructures-the-key-to-a-greener-steel-production","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/en\/are-microstructures-the-key-to-a-greener-steel-production\/","title":{"rendered":"Are microstructures the key to a greener steel production?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Our society is built on steel; we make bicycles, bridges, buildings, pipelines, cars, and much more. In 2021, 1.9 billion tons of steel were produced worldwide; an all-time high in global steel production and, at the same time, a negative all-time high because every ton of new steel produced is associated with 1.9 tons of CO<sub>2<\/sub> emissions. Steel production is one of the most polluting industries, with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.globalefficiencyintel.com\/steel-climate-impact-international-benchmarking-energy-co2-intensities#:~:text=The%20iron%20and%20steel%20industry,global%20steel%20production%20in%202020.\">a seven percent share<\/a> of global CO<sub>2<\/sub> emissions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"io-block io-block__summary\"><ul><li>Global steel production reaches an all-time high of 1.9 billion tons, but each ton produced is associated with 1.9 tons of CO<sub>2<\/sub> emissions, making it one of the most polluting industries.<\/li><li>The influence of microstructures are crucial for a greener steel production.<\/li><li>The development of new, sustainable production technologies and the re-use of steel scrap are crucial for greener steel production, and the industry is increasingly focused on sustainability.<\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Yet we need it, because there is no alternative to steel, because it combines best of three worlds: it\u2019s flexible, cheap and strong. So, there is only one thing to do: make the life cycle of steel greener. In this series, we look at how scientists from TU Delft and industry make the life cycle of steel &#8211; from production to processing, application, and recycling &#8211; more sustainable. Today: the influence of microstructures.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/archive.ioplus.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/jilt-03-1.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-449740\" width=\"271\" height=\"271\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Jilt Sietsma<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Atomic structures forming crystals &nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Steel is an alloy (an artificial mixture of a metal with at least one other added element) of mainly iron and carbon and consists of billions and billions of tiny crystals, firmly and densely packed. For steel, the production process &#8211; especially deformation, heating and cooling &#8211; is at least as crucial as the composition of the alloy. &#8220;Steel consists of 96 percent by weight of iron and up to half a percent of carbon. At room temperature, the crystal structure is fixed, but when you heat it, the way the atoms are arranged at microscopic scales within the iron, the microstructure, changes,&#8221; explains Jilt Sietsma. He is an emeritus professor of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tudelft.nl\/en\/3me\/about\/departments\/materials-science-and-engineering\">MSE Department<\/a> in Microstructures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;When you look at steel through a microscope, you see all the crystals formed by atomic structures with different orientations. These microstructural components vary in size, orientation and extent. By altering this structure &#8211; with heat treatments, possibly combined with changing the chemical composition &#8211; you can change the microstructure of steel and produce steel with specific properties,&#8221; explains Maria Santofimia Navarro. A professor of Physical Metallurgy, she researches specific microstructures, combining strong and soft microstructural components of steel. These materials are already widely used in the automotive industry, which requires increasingly lighter yet more robust materials.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"vlp-link-container vlp-layout-basic wp-block-visual-link-preview-link advgb-dyn-58d604c6\"><a href=\"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/en\/swedish-h2-green-steel-eliminates-climate-damaging-carbon-by-using-green-hydrogen-in-the-direct-reduction-process-of-iron\/\" class=\"vlp-link\" title=\"Swedish H2 Green Steel eliminates climate-damaging carbon by using green hydrogen in the direct reduction process of iron\"><\/a><div class=\"vlp-layout-zone-side\"><div class=\"vlp-block-2 vlp-link-image\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vlp-layout-zone-main\"><div class=\"vlp-block-0 vlp-link-title\">Swedish H2 Green Steel eliminates climate-damaging carbon by using green hydrogen in the direct reduction process of iron<\/div><div class=\"vlp-block-1 vlp-link-summary\">In steelmaking, the Swedish industrial start-up H2 Green Steel eliminates climate-damaging carbon by using green hydrogen in the direct reduction process of iron. <\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/archive.ioplus.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Santofimia-Maria_4-1-904x1004.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-449742\" width=\"337\" height=\"373\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Maria Santofimia Navarro. Image: TU Delft, Monique van Zeijl<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>A more sustainable production process<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Then, steel is an umbrella term; there are 3,500 different steels for commercial use, each with a unique microstructure. In the laboratory, the possibilities are endless. Among other things, Sietsma and Santofimia&#8217;s research group aims to develop fundamental understanding of the processes by which the microstructure forms. Such understanding is the basis to design steel processing to make desired microstructures with a minimum of raw materials, energy use and emissions while maximising the use of scrap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Santofimia states that the professors work closely with industry, which also partly makes the research so enjoyable. &#8220;Here we dissect physical mechanisms, and with that knowledge, the industry can eventually make new steel grades and make them more sustainable.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The re-use of steel<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/archive.ioplus.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/20230406-Portret-M2i-09-Erik-1004x669.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-449606\" width=\"427\" height=\"284\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Erik Vegter<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Besides the development of new, sustainable production technologies for &#8220;green steel&#8221;, reusing steel is also essential. Scrap will become an increasingly important raw material for steel production, Erik Vegter, director of M2i (Materials innovation institute), a network organization specializing in materials research involving industries and universities, also knows. &#8220;You can re-use steel very well, but whether you use iron as a raw or used material makes quite a difference. Research into finding good ways to still control the microstructure with changing compositions &#8211; and thus ensure a high-quality end product &#8211; will become increasingly important in the coming years.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Santofimia: &#8220;We must develop new technologies that tolerate higher element uncertainty. The first step is understanding the precise effect of these uncontrolled elements from scrap on the microstructure formation. Once we know that, we can develop new processing routes in which this understanding is considered so we can aim for these elements to be beneficial instead of detrimental.&#8221;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>&#8216;Very excited&#8217;<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Studying microstructures of materials is a topic that has developed relatively recently, compared to 3000 years of steel use. &#8220;We have only been at it for a few decades and have already achieved a lot in microstructure control. For instance, we have built up an understanding of the first stage of the formation of crystals, the nucleation stage, in which some tens of atoms \u201cdecide\u201d to re-arrange into a new crystal structure. Approximately 75 percent of the steels in use today did not exist twenty years ago. I&#8217;m very excited when I think about what we can achieve in the future&#8221;, Santofimia says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Also, the possibilities that models simulations on fast computers offer us are a huge help,&#8221; Sietsma adds to his colleague. \u201cPredictions of microstructure formation based on physics-based models require very extensive calculations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this regard, M2i initiated the <a href=\"https:\/\/depmat.nl\/\">DEPMAT project<\/a> (Data Enhanced Physical Models), which is led by the University Twente and includes Tata Steel, TU Delft and SKF. The aim is to conduct research into modelling microstructure responses to those new manufacturing processes.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"vlp-link-container vlp-layout-basic wp-block-visual-link-preview-link advgb-dyn-40c576ba\"><a href=\"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/en\/the-table-salt-and-water-battery-the-revolution-of-energy-storage\/\" class=\"vlp-link\" title=\"The table salt and water battery: the revolution of energy storage?\"><\/a><div class=\"vlp-layout-zone-side\"><div class=\"vlp-block-2 vlp-link-image\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vlp-layout-zone-main\"><div class=\"vlp-block-0 vlp-link-title\">The table salt and water battery: the revolution of energy storage?<\/div><div class=\"vlp-block-1 vlp-link-summary\">A big tank, a generous amount of water, and abundant table salt. It isn\u2019t the incipit of the ingredients and tools needed to cook a meal.<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Awareness<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Understanding microstructures is a crucial component of greener steel production. A topic that is now a priority in the industry, Sietsma observes. &#8220;Previously, questions from industry were mainly related to scarcity, price, and political sensitivity. If a company could no longer import nickel for geopolitical reasons, it would ask us if it could replace nickel with another element. Now questions from industry are mostly about more sustainable production.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sietsma should know; the professor has been with the Department of Materials Science and Engineering since 1987. He was recently appointed Knight of the Order of the Dutch Lion in recognition of his contribution to science, industry, and society, emphasizing the societal importance of steel research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Vegter sees this awareness as the most important step the industry has made in recent years. &#8220;Steel companies realize much better than many people know that they must become more sustainable. There is a behind-the-scenes look at how they should go about it on all fronts. An example is Tata Steel\u2019s transition to replace one of its blast furnaces with a DRI (Direct Reduced Iron) process by 2030. This will eliminate the use of polluting coal.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>&#8220;Previously, questions from industry were mainly related to scarcity, price, and political sensitivity. If a company could no longer import nickel for geopolitical reasons, it would ask us if it could replace nickel with another element. Now questions from industry are mostly about more sustainable production.&#8221;<\/p>\n<cite>Jilt Sietsma<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>During his career, Sietsma saw that sustainability gradually took on an increasing role. &#8220;25 years ago, it was mainly about making production as cheap as possible. Back then, my research field was also looked at much more sceptically. Now technology is recognised as the key to a more sustainable world. You can also see that in our student numbers. Where we used to have an average of fifteen Materials Science students per year, there are now about sixty. Almost all of them choose the study to contribute to a world with more sustainable production, use and re-use of materials.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Cover photo: perlite microstructure. Image: Natalia Luzginova, published in N.V. Luzginova, L. Zhao, &amp; J. Sietsma, The Cementite Spheroidization Process in High-Carbon Steels with Different Chromium Contents, Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A 93 (2008) <a href=\"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/article\/10.1007\/s11661-007-9403-3\">513-521<\/a>. <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Our society is built on steel; we make bicycles, bridges, buildings, pipelines, cars, and much more. In 2021, 1.9 billion tons of steel were produced worldwide; an all-time high in global steel production and, at the same time, a negative all-time high because every ton of new steel produced is associated with 1.9 tons of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1744,"featured_media":493745,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[42],"tags":[69087,78803,78805,78807,11641,78810,78812,73934],"location":[6763],"article_type":[60595],"serie":[],"archives":[],"internal_archives":[],"reboot-archive":[],"class_list":["post-449602","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sustainability-nl","tag-energietransitie-2","tag-energy-transition-36","tag-green-steal","tag-microstructures","tag-recycling-en","tag-sustainable-steal","tag-tu-delft-34","tag-tu-delft-19","location-netherlands","article_type-analysis"],"blocksy_meta":[],"acf":{"subtitle":"In this series, we look at how scientists from TU Delft and the industry make the life cycle of steel more sustainable. Today: the influence of microstructures.","text_display_homepage":false},"author_meta":{"display_name":"Aafke Eppinga","author_link":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/author\/aafke-eppinga\/"},"featured_img":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/structure-1.jpg","coauthors":[],"tax_additional":{"categories":{"linked":["<a href=\"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/en\/category\/sustainability-nl\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Sustainability<\/a>"],"unlinked":["<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Sustainability<\/span>"]},"tags":{"linked":["<a href=\"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/en\/category\/sustainability-nl\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">energietransitie<\/a>","<a href=\"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/en\/category\/sustainability-nl\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">energy transition<\/a>","<a href=\"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/en\/category\/sustainability-nl\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">green steal<\/a>","<a href=\"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/en\/category\/sustainability-nl\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">microstructures<\/a>","<a href=\"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/en\/category\/sustainability-nl\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">recycling<\/a>","<a href=\"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/en\/category\/sustainability-nl\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">sustainable steal<\/a>","<a href=\"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/en\/category\/sustainability-nl\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">TU Delft<\/a>","<a href=\"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/en\/category\/sustainability-nl\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">TU Delft<\/a>"],"unlinked":["<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">energietransitie<\/span>","<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">energy transition<\/span>","<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">green steal<\/span>","<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">microstructures<\/span>","<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">recycling<\/span>","<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">sustainable steal<\/span>","<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">TU Delft<\/span>","<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">TU Delft<\/span>"]}},"comment_count":"0","relative_dates":{"created":"Posted 3 years ago","modified":"Updated 3 years ago"},"absolute_dates":{"created":"Posted on June 15, 2023","modified":"Updated on June 15, 2023"},"absolute_dates_time":{"created":"Posted on June 15, 2023 6:30 am","modified":"Updated on June 15, 2023 6:30 am"},"featured_img_caption":"","series_order":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/449602","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1744"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=449602"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/449602\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/493745"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=449602"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=449602"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=449602"},{"taxonomy":"location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/location?post=449602"},{"taxonomy":"article_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article_type?post=449602"},{"taxonomy":"serie","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/serie?post=449602"},{"taxonomy":"archives","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/archives?post=449602"},{"taxonomy":"internal_archives","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/internal_archives?post=449602"},{"taxonomy":"reboot-archive","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/reboot-archive?post=449602"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}