Hyundai Steel said on the 3rd it will begin mass production of a carbon-reduced steel sheet that cuts carbon emissions by 20% compared with conventional blast-furnace products.
It is launching mass production about 2 years and 10 months after April 2023, when it conducted productivity tests for the carbon-reduced steel sheet using the existing electric arc furnace at the Dangjin Steelworks.
Hyundai Steel said it has reinforced process stability in the electric arc furnace–blast furnace hybrid process and carried out customer evaluations and steel grade approval procedures.
In particular, for certification, it said it completed approvals for a total of 25 steel grades, including two carbon-reduced steel sheets. It plans to expand the certification scope to 53 grades within this year.
The carbon-reduced steel sheet going into mass production this time is a product of Hyundai Steel's carbon-reduced product brand Hy Eco Syeel.
Hy Eco Syeel is produced through an electric arc furnace–blast furnace hybrid process that mixes hot metal made by melting hot-briquetted iron (HBI) and steel scrap with hot metal produced in a blast furnace to manufacture high-quality products.
The carbon-reduced steel sheet now entering mass production will be partially applied to models produced in Korea and Europe in line with the carbon-reduction road maps of Hyundai Motor and Kia.
A Hyundai Steel official said, "We have taken the lead in supplying carbon-reduction products through an electric arc furnace–blast furnace hybrid process that combines unrivaled electric furnace operating know-how with blast furnace technology," adding, "We will proactively respond to customers' carbon-reduction needs and actively support the transition to carbon neutrality in demand industries such as automobiles and energy steel materials."