German steel firm starts world’s first carbon-to-methanol production from steel mill gases

German steel company thyssenkrupp has started production of the synthetic fuel methanol from CO₂ and other emissions in steel production, the company says in a press release. The fuel production from side products of steel smelting is part of the so-called Carbon2Chem project, which is funded by the German ministry for research and education (BMBF). thyssenkrupp says the procedure could be scaled up to convert about 20 million tonnes of annual CO₂ emissions from steel mill gases, and it could be used in other energy-intensive industries. “There’s no point in just prescribing climate protection targets if we don’t have the technical means to implement them,” said German research minister Anja Karliczek, adding that the project showed how investments in cleaner technology can pay off. thyssenkrupp CEO Guido Kerkhoff said that “our vision of virtually CO₂-free steel production is taking shape.”

Find the press release in English here.

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