Industrial uses for hydrogen

Decarbonising energy-intensive industries are essential for Europe's climate change mitigation goals. European countries have prioritised using hydrogen as a crucial element for the energy transition. The iron and steel sector must begin its transformation towards lower emission production. The interest in zero-emission steel has increased among private sectors and the government, and the scaling-up of hydrogen-based steelmaking is the solution that will become cost-competitive in those regions with cheap renewable electricity and will trigger an innovation boost that will reduce the costs of elements within the green hydrogen value chain. The following work consists of a theoretical framework of hydrogen, starting from its production, storage and distribution toward the end-use applications. It is followed by a study on high-temperature thermal energy demand in the EU. The potential for decarbonising high-temperature process heat is presented, where the opportunity for using hydrogen in the iron and steel is identified. An essential tool for this study is the georeferencing of the steelmaking plants across the EU, which helped identify advantageous locations with high industrial activity. The feasibility of a hydrogen production plant working for secondary steelmaking producers in a selected region is presented, with the investment costs and necessary policies for sustaining this transition. The study's findings present the best locations for a medium-term deployment of fossil-free steelmaking and the necessary steps for better adaptability for transitioning towards a pure hydrogen-based process.