Innovative Process Converts Toxic Red Mud into Green Steel

Researchers have developed a method to recycle aluminum production waste into CO2-free steel, potentially revolutionizing the metal industry.

A team at the Max-Planck-Institut für Eisenforschung has found a way to produce green steel from the toxic red mud byproduct of aluminum production.
The process uses hydrogen plasma in an electric arc furnace to convert iron oxide in red mud into pure iron, which can then be used to make steel.
This method could produce nearly 700 million tonnes of CO2-free steel from the four billion tonnes of red mud accumulated worldwide.
The process is not only environmentally beneficial but also economically viable, with potential savings of 1.5 billion tonnes of CO2 in the steel industry.
The remaining metal oxides from the process solidify into a glass-like material, suitable for use in the construction industry.