Energy Efficiency, GHG Emissions, Industrial  -  April 3, 2024

U.S. Steel Partners to Capture Carbon Emissions

U.S. Steel Corporation announced the signing of a definitive agreement to capture carbon emissions generated from U. S. Steel’s Gary Works Blast Furnaces, a first-of-its-kind project. 

The agreement was signed with CarbonFree, a carbon capture technology company. CarbonFree’s SkyCycle™ technology will capture and mineralize up to 50,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually, with opportunity to expand the capture of carbon dioxide in the future. 

The initial SkyCycle project responds to the increasing demand for low emissions products, such as verdeX™ advanced sustainable steel, from customers. The project is the first step in exploring the scalability of this technology for potential future implementation across the enterprise.

Construction on the SkyCycle plant in the U. S. Steel Gary Works facility is expected to start as early as summer 2024 with operations projected to begin in 2026. The definitive agreement has a term of 20 years following its in-service date.

U.S. Steel has a goal of lowering GHG emissions intensity 20% by 2030 and achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. 

CarbonFree’s patented SkyCycle solution captures carbon emissions from hard-to-abate industrial sources before they enter the atmosphere and converts them into a carbon-neutral version of calcium carbonate, which is essential to the creation of paper and plastics as well as personal care, paint, and building products. 

The partnership will likely enable U.S. Steel to offer steel used in the automotive, appliance and packaging industries with a significantly reduced carbon footprint.

In addition to capturing carbon dioxide, CarbonFree will use slag produced by the blast furnace operation as part of the calcium carbonate production process.

“Innovating to capture carbon at an integrated mill is the latest example of how steel is enabling a more sustainable future,” said Scott Buckiso, Senior Vice President & Chief Manufacturing Officer, U. S. Steel, in a statement. “Moreover, U. S. Steel has a history of ‘firsts’ that we’re confidently building on. Using SkyCycle technology for the first project of its kind in North America should benefit the community for generations to come.” 

Share this valuable information with your colleagues using the buttons below: