American company Boston Metal has announced the production of the first tonne of steel with no carbon dioxide emissions using a process based on electrolysis of molten oxides (MOE). Instead of using coke in traditional blast furnaces, electricity is used in the processing stage, and oxygen becomes the by-product of the reaction.
The milestone represents the first successful test of a plant that uses an inert anode system to enable stable, continuous operation. For now, the output is limited to 1–2 tonnes of steel per month, but a larger demonstration plant is planned to start in 2026.
Steel production accounts for about 9% of global CO₂ emissions. Previous approaches in this area have reduced emissions only to a certain extent, but have not achieved full carbon neutrality. With electrolysis—assuming renewable electricity is used—it becomes possible to build a fully “green” production chain.
