Steel Industry Webinars |
AIST Decarbonization Subcommittee Webinar: Hydrogen DRI in Steelmaking
2 April 2026 • Zoom • 9–10 a.m. EDT
The six-year HYBRIT pilot program, completed in summer 2024, demonstrated that hydrogen-based direct reduced iron (HDRI) is not only technically feasible but also superior in quality. The resulting HDRI is highly metallized, chemically stable, mechanically strong (stronger than commercial hot briquetted iron) and suitable for seaborne transport. These properties lower production costs, improve efficiency in electric arc furnaces by reducing melting energy and increase overall value in use. Building on these results, SSAB is transitioning its Nordic steel production toward full decarbonization by replacing traditional blast furnace–basic oxygen furnace processes with electric arc furnace (EAF) mills using recycled scrap and HDRI. Despite lacking carbon, HYBRIT’s H₂ based DRI’s exceptionally high metallization enables efficient melting in the EAF. Through clear modeling results, this presentation will demonstrate how highly metallized, zero-carbon DRI unlocks the next step in steel decarbonization.