SSAB (Svenskt Stål Aktiebolag aka Swedish Steel Corporation), a Sweden- and U.S.-based steel company with offices in Canada and around the world, has delivered the first “fossil free” steel to Volvo.
Created with green hydrogen rather than coke and coal, this decarbonated, “fossil free” steel will be used by Volvo for use in its electric trucks in the Nordic area.
The HYBRIT process created by SSAB, uses hydrogen as the reductant, with iron ore and limestone combined to create the steel, replacing the need for coke/baked coal. The procedure also uses an electric arc furnace rather than the usual coal-fired blast furnace—and it all runs on “fossil free” renewable energy.
Avoiding the ill-defined concept of “green”, SSAB prefers to use its own “fossil free” term, coined as: “created without using fossil-fuels or fossil raw materials. Fossil-free steel is made without creating CO2 (carbon dioxide) emissions and by using fossil-free energy sources.”
The only drawback to the SSAB fossil-free steel is its price. As a new technology—but offering the same quality as traditional steel—it does cost more to produce, and will be seen in the price for new Volvo electric trucks.
SSAB currently sells about US$7-billion of its steel per annum, but will manufacture its “fossil-free” steel at scale beginning in 2026, going “fossil free” by 2046. Volvo said it will be 100 percent carbon-neutral by 2050.
How long will it take for service truck manufacturers to hop on the fossil-free steel train? Only time will tell.
For information on the companies, visit www.ssab.ca and www.volvotrucks.com.