"India's Steel Sector Faces Narrow Window to Cut Emissions"
BF-BOF (Blast Furnace-Basic Oxygen Furnace)
the traditional, coal-heavy method of making steel from iron ore
EAF (Electric Arc Furnace)
a furnace that makes steel from scrap or reduced iron using electricity
India's steel sector is one of the hardest industries to make carbon-free. It needs both intense heat and a chemical reducing agent to turn iron ore into metal. The country has committed to reaching net-zero emissions by 2070. This target requires every major emitting sector, including steel, to find a lower-carbon path. To support this, the government runs the National Mission on Green Steel. It sets emission-intensity targets and certifies steel as 'green' once it falls below a fixed threshold.
Steel decarbonisation is closely linked to the wider push for green hydrogen in Indian industry. Green hydrogen is hydrogen made using renewable electricity, which can replace coal or natural gas as a reducing agent. This matters beyond steel alone. Fertilizer plants use hydrogen to make ammonia. Oil refineries use it to remove sulphur from fuel. Green hydrogen can help decarbonise fertilizer, refining, and steel production together. This is why India's hydrogen mission treats these sectors as a connected cluster rather than separate problems.
A ₹5,000-crore scheme to speed up steel sector decarbonisation was announced last year. It is expected to launch in the coming months. This comes as India's steel production has grown rapidly. Construction, infrastructure, and vehicle manufacturing drive this growth. The sector's emissions trajectory is a major factor in whether India can meet its climate commitments.
Most steel in India and the world is made using the blast furnace-basic oxygen furnace (BF-BOF) method. A BF-BOF plant burns coking coal to smelt iron ore into liquid iron. Then it uses pure oxygen to burn away impurities and make steel. This process is highly carbon-intensive. It depends on coal both for heat and as a chemical reducing agent.
The cleaner alternative is the electric arc furnace (EAF). It uses electricity instead of coal to make steel from recycled scrap or directly reduced iron (DRI). Where enough scrap is unavailable, DRI plants can use natural gas or, increasingly, green hydrogen. …
Consider the following heavy industries:
1.Fertilizer plants
2.Oil refineries
3.Steel plants
Green hydrogen is expected to play a significant role in decarbonizing how many of the above industries?
With reference to India's steel sector, consider the following statements:
1.The BF-BOF method is more carbon-intensive than the electric arc furnace method.
2.Electric arc furnaces primarily use coking coal to reduce iron ore.
3.India's National Mission on Green Steel sets an emission-intensity threshold to certify steel as 'green'.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
As per the National Mission on Green Steel's certification scheme, steel is classified as 'green' if its emission intensity is below approximately:
Green hydrogen can play a significant role in decarbonising which of the following industries?
1.Fertilizer plants
2.Oil refineries
3.Steel plants
Consider the following pairs:
Steelmaking route — Primary energy/reducing input
1.BF-BOF — Coking coal
2.Electric Arc Furnace — Electricity (scrap/DRI)
3.Electric Induction Furnace — Electromagnetic fields (scrap/DRI)
How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?
Relining a blast furnace in India's steel industry primarily refers to:
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