The 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games torch was made in France, from recycled and renewably produced steel. This is low carbon emission steel made with 100% renewable energy and a high proportion of steel scrap.

ArcelorMittal France created 2,000 of these torches, carried by 10,000 torchbearers on their route to the Games in July 2024. The torch is a winning symbol of Europe’s
competitiveness and the industry’s potential to be part of a low-carbon economy.

World Auto Steel (WAS) is the automotive group of the World Steel Association. European steelmakers that are among their members play a pivotal role in their programmes for the development of steel-based vehicles. The latest WAS project focused on developing the Steel E-motive concept.

Tata Steel, as one of the WAS members, participated in the Steel E-motive workgroup, by providing its knowledge and expertise in advanced high-strength steels (AHSS) applications, steel manufacture, stamping, body engineering, sustainability, etc.

The outcome of the project is a virtual model of a steel-based autonomous electric vehicle for ride-sharing (Mobility as a service, MAAS). The model was extensively tested for stiffness and crash, with optimisation of performance, weight and costs, and it includes several design innovations, such as the battery integration, the sill structure for optimum side crash performance, and the fully open-door structure (no B-pillar). The vehicle is made from commercially available steels, representing a mixture of (A/UHSS) grades from various suppliers. A thorough Life-Cycle-Assessment (LCA) analysis was also done.

Tata Steel, as a key contributor to the Steel E-motive work group, actively participates in the dissemination of the project, which shows the opportunities and benefits of steel as a material for future e-vehicle developments and e-mobility in general.

Medical Oxygen Cylinder

These types of oxygen tanks saved millions of lives during the COVID-19 pandemic. Oxygen tanks are made of steel because it is strong, durable, and can withstand high pressure. These medical devices store supplemental oxygen, used for lung conditions that affect breathing and as medical resuscitation equipment. This oxygen tank, which is used in first aid kits and is the only single-use cylinder authorised by the Italian Medicines Agency, has been made with circular steel (welded carbon steel S355 pipes) by the Italian producers Acciaieria Arvedi and Arvedi Tubi Acciaio.

Other uses of steel in clinical settings

Heat Exchanger

Heat exchangers allow for the controlled cooling and warming of blood, crucial for protecting organs and tissues during surgery. When a person has open-heart surgery, the heart is stopped for several hours so the surgeon can perform the procedure. To avoid heart tissue damage during this time, the body is cooled down to reduce its need for oxygen. This medical equipment typically consists of a series of metal plates or tubes through which blood and a temperature-controlled fluid (usually water) flow, allowing heat transfer between the two. The use of stainless steel in heat exchangers makes them lighter and more resistant, providing reliable and consistent performance resulting in less risk for the patient and more ease of use for the medical personnel. It also makes them disposable. This single-use heat exchanger is made with precision stainless steel (AISI 304 grade, thickness 0.10 mm), which consists in a diaphragm with custom characteristics that allows water/blood heat exchange. This low- carbon footprint stainless steel product is manufactured in Italy by Arvedi AST and Arinox.

Studs for ECG Electrodes

Studs (buttons) for electrocardiogram (ECG) electrodes are made with stainless steel and are fully disposable. These small but essential parts are necessary to measure heartrates. They have been produced in Italy by Arvedi AST and Arinox with low-carbon AISI 304 grade steel with a nickel content greater than 9% to increase cold formability and with a thickness of 0.2 and 0.25 mm.

The transformation of steel production processes from coal and coke to clean electricity and hydrogen is demonstrated by this touch-and-feel wall. The wall illustrates the complete green steel journey starting from input materials and energy sources through to iron and steelmaking processes and resulting in semifinished products, finished products and steel applications.

Electrical steel is the core material for every electric car.

The special steels that control the magnetic flux form the basis for every electric motor. Without them, nothing works. In the stators and rotors, electrical steel has a decisive impact on the efficiency of the motor: the more it minimises the core losses, the greater the efficiency of the motor – and thus the range of the vehicle.
Electrical steel for highly efficient electric motors plays an important part in the selectrify initiative, in which thyssenkrupp Steel has combined its research and development activities for e-mobility with the objective of reaching high efficiency with low core losses.

Other areas of the initiative include cost-efficient lightweight solutions for the vehicle structure and highly robust and safe battery housings. Material savings through weight-optimized components, more efficient motors with greater range and motor noise levels reduced by up to 10 dB(A) demonstrate the enormous potential of innovative steel solutions for electric vehicles.

This is a prototype of the green steel produced by Salzgitter's low CO2 steelmaking programme SALCOS.

SALCOS - Salzgitter Low CO2 Steelmaking - has laid the foundations for virtually
climate-neutral steel production. This pioneering decarbonisation programme does not just exist on paper but is currently being implemented at the Salzgitter steelworks. The first volumes of low CO2 steel will be ready for the market in 2026.

The key elements of the programme are electricity from renewable sources and its use to produce hydrogen by electrolysis. This green hydrogen will replace the coal currently used in the conventional blast furnace process. This will be made possible by so-called direct reduction plants, in which iron ore is directly reduced to iron in its solid state using hydrogen. This technology emits water vapour instead of CO2.

To produce green steel, the SALCOS programme pursues a Carbon Direct Avoidance
strategy, which means avoiding the generation of CO2 in steel production from the
outset. Overall, this will reduce CO2 emissions by more than 95%.

This SSAB fossil-free steel ingot is produced with revolutionary HYBRIT technology.

With HYBRIT technology, SSAB aims to be the first steel company in the world to bring fossil-free steel to the market in 2026 and largely eliminate carbon dioxide emissions from its own operations around 2030. The objective is to create an entirely fossil-free value chain, from the mine to the end-product.

Replacing CO2 emissions with water

For thousands of years, steel has been made using coal to remove oxygen from iron ore, emitting vast amounts of CO2 in the process. But now, this new technology
which uses hydrogen instead of coal in the ore reduction process, will allow the emission of water instead of CO2.

What is HYBRIT?

In 2016, SSAB, LKAB (Europe’s largest iron ore producer) and Vattenfall (one of Europe’s largest energy companies) joined forces to create HYBRIT – an initiative that endeavours to revolutionise the iron and steel industry. Using HYBRIT technology, SSAB aims to replace coking coal, traditionally needed for ore-based steelmaking, with fossil-free electricity and hydrogen. The result will be the world’s first fossil-free steelmaking technology, with virtually no carbon footprint. The goal is to reduce Sweden’s CO2 emissions by 10% and Finland’s by 7%.

Helioroof accelerates and simplifies the installation of solar-ready roofing by combining high-performance steel-based roofing panels with built-in silicon solar cells. A product of Helexio Line - an EU Innovation Fund-backed project - Helioroof, which is manufactured by ArcelorMittal Construction, marks a pioneering advancement in the development of solar energy solutions as the world’s first Building Integrated Photovoltaic insulated panel.

Unmatched power: Helioroof panels can reach an impressive 2 kWp, making it a leader in energy generation.

Lightweight design: This solar solution is 50% lighter than standard solar insulated roofs, reducing the structural burden on buildings and enabling more versatile installations.

Economic viability: Helioroof is designed to be economically competitive with standard solar insulated roofs, making it an attractive choice for budget-conscious projects.

Sustainable: Installing Helioroof contributes to a 25% reduction in CO2 emissions compared to standard solar insulated roofs, lowering buildings’ carbon footprints.

Fast installation: Helioroof streamlines installation, offering a 40% faster setup process than traditional solar insulated roofs, saving time and resources.

Flexible design: Single panels can measure from 2 to 12 meters and can be combined together to precisely fit any roof design.

Tables

The tables on display are made from recycled low-carbon steel scrap of the type used in the foundations of wind turbines, such as those of the offshore wind farm in Fécamp, Normandy (France).

Foundations

For the foundations of the offshore wind turbines at the Fécamp wind farm in France (https://parc-eolien-en-mer-de-fecamp.fr/), RIVA recycled steel was used by SNAAM and  BOUYGUES Construction. The choice of recycled steel with a very low carbon footprint of less than 300 kg CO2/t per steel bar, produced using local scrap metal in electric furnaces powered by low-carbon electricity, has significantly reduced the  total embedded carbon footprint of the overall wind farm project. The project consists of 71 offshore wind turbines located between 13 and 24 km from the coastline which will power the equivalent of the electricity consumption of 770,000 inhabitants.

The recent development by Bouygues of reinforced concrete floaters (OO-STAR) will allow RIVA recycled steel to continue contributing to the creation of new onshore and offshore wind farms while minimising their environmental footprint.

Wind Turbine

Steel is essential to the energy transition, in particular to the wind revolution. Each new Megawatt of wind power uses 120 to 180 tons of steel. From towering wind turbine structures - such as this model by Vestas exhibited here, kindly made available by WindEurope - to robust foundations whether onshore or offshore, high-performance steel provides the strength and durability needed to withstand harsh environmental conditions. Its versatility enables engineers to design lighter, taller towers that maximise wind capture, enhancing energy efficiency. Steel’s recyclability also aligns perfectly with the goals of a circular economy, making it a key material in the transition to renewable energy. On wind farms, wind turbines with foundations and towers made of steel make green energy which can power steelworks, allowing for the production of green steel while keeping competitively priced clean electricity in Europe. This is of critical importance for strengthening EU energy transition and security, as well as for ensuring competitive European manufacturing value chains, from steel to wind.