Nippon Steel Corporation has achieved a groundbreaking 43% reduction in CO2 emissions in a test furnace using hydrogen instead of coal, surpassing its development goals ahead of schedule. This achievement is part of the “Nippon Steel Carbon Neutral Vision 2050,” supported by the Japanese government.

The company has been developing three innovative technologies, including hydrogen injection into blast furnaces, to significantly reduce CO2 emissions. The test furnace, located at the East Nippon Works Kimitsu Area, demonstrated the highest level of CO2 reduction globally, positioning Nippon Steel as a leader in decarbonization technologies.

Since May 2022, Nippon Steel has been testing its Super COURSE50 technology, which uses heated hydrogen to reduce CO2 emissions. The company achieved a 22% reduction in 2022, 33% in 2023, and now 43% in 2024. This success was made possible by improving the heat balance inside the blast furnace during hydrogen reduction.

Nippon Steel plans to continue developing technologies to reduce CO2 emissions by more than 50% and aims to scale up these technologies for practical use in large blast furnaces. This project is part of the Green Innovation Fund under the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), developed by a consortium including Nippon Steel, JFE Steel Corporation, Kobe Steel, Ltd., and the Research and Development Center for Metals.