CIVS contributes to new $19 million DOE center for decarbonization of steelmaking
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science recently announced $19 million in funding over four years for DOE’s Argonne National Laboratory to lead the multi-institutional Center for Steel Electrification by Electrosynthesis (C-STEEL). The center aims to develop an innovative and low-cost process for alternative steelmaking to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 85%.
CIVS’s role in this project is to develop and validate a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model to provide comprehensive understanding and parametric studies to optimize and intensify the reactor and for future scale-up of the laboratory-scale reactor.
C-STEEL is a vital project of the DOE’s Industrial Heat Energy Earthshot initiative, which aims to cut emissions from the energy-intensive process of industrial heating significantly. Partners in the center include Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Case Western Reserve University, Northern Illinois University, Purdue University Northwest, and the University of Illinois Chicago. “It’s a big target that has a high reward if successful,” said Brian Ingram, the C-STEEL director and an Argonne group leader and materials scientist.
DOE launched the Energy Earthshots Initiative to spur decarbonization efforts to help the United States meet President Biden’s ambitious climate and clean energy goals, including a 50% reduction in carbon emissions by 2030 and a net-zero carbon economy by 2050. The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science is the single most prominent supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time.
C-STEEL also plans to implement outreach initiatives, mentorship programs, and career development opportunities for students and postdocs to excite the next generation of scientists.