Hydrogen-reduced steel for realizing a low-carbon industry is a reduction process that uses hydrogen instead of carbon-based reducing agents such as coal and natural gas, which cause CO₂ emissions during steel production, and is a process technology that fundamentally reduces CO₂ emissions. The existing steelmaking process using carbon-based reducing agents generates about 2 tons of CO₂ per ton of steel . Since iron exists in the form of oxides combined with oxygen, such as hematite (Fe₂ O₃) and magnetite (Fe₃O₄), which are called iron ore in nature , reduction is essential in the ironmaking process. When a high concentration of hydrogen is used as a reducing agent in the hydrogen reduction ironmaking method, the oxygen in the iron ore reacts with hydrogen to become water, so iron can be manufactured without generating CO₂.

In our Graduate School of Steel Energy and Materials, we are conducting in - depth research to reduce CO₂ emissions from the steel industry by applying hydrogen-reduced steel technology to domestic blast furnaces . In addition, we plan to lead the upcoming low-carbon/eco-friendly era by conducting various research on processes that can use 100% hydrogen as a reducing agent instead of conventional coal.