ISMR March 2023 | Page 33

FOCUS ON SUSTAINABILTY diagnostic service ReDiS for remote maintenance of KHS lines and machines through an online link .

Acker also sees change affecting innovation . Whereas in the past new technologies were only successful when they had yielded a beneficial result for the beverage bottler , in the future the carbon footprint will be considered the greater indicator of success . Nevertheless , he expects prices will still be the subject of much discussion over the next ten or 15 years .
“ Innovation costs money . Green steel for an automobile , for instance , is of course more expensive than grey steel . The question is whether consumers are prepared to spend 20 % more on a car made from more climate-friendly materials , for example , or whether their sense of moral responsibility ends when they open their wallet .”
In his view , in such situations state frameworks can ensure that new and more sustainable products can become established on the market .
What risks does the group see itself confronted with on its way to becoming a pioneer in low-CO₂ steel production and processing ? Group CEO , Groebler , considers the greatest risk right now to be the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine and everything associated with it . He finds it deeply distressing that KHS employees in the region are directly affected and that no one can predict when the war will end .
we ’ re feeling the indirect consequences : from rising energy prices through to increasing challenges in transportation and logistics , the tense situation in global delivery chains and difficult market conditions for our end customers to the future of our energy supply .”
He highlighted that issues with the delivery chain – and Groebler and Acker are in agreement – place KHS in a predicament as , in some cases , beverage filling equipment can ’ t
Below : Filler / seamer block SmartCan by KHS Ferrum ( image source : Roth und Schmid Fotografie ). be completed owing to missing components . People are working flat out to find alternatives and solutions for these bottlenecks , however , so that customers can continue to be supplied .
“ Our German and European energy policies need to be completely reordered quickly ,” explained Groebler . “ Besides the positive effect of the energy revolution now gathering pace as a result of this situation , Salzgitter AG also sees this as a concrete opportunity . We ’ re supporting the construction of LNG lines with our steel pipes , for instance , and in doing so helping to further develop the energy situation . The expansion of green energy and hydrogen capacities now being planned in Germany supports our SALCOS ® or Salzgitter Low CO₂ Steelmaking programme .” n
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Supply chain issues
“ Our economic activities in Ukraine and in Russia may be relatively modest ,” Groebler continued . “ However , as a global company

The plan for Green Steel

With record production of almost 100 tons of green hydrogen for the climate-neutral production of green steel , Salzgitter AG and the electrolysis manufacturer Sunfire successfully completed the EU-funded GrInHy2.0 (“ Green Industrial Hydrogen ”) project .
With the help of the SALCOS ® ( Salzgitter Low CO₂ Steelmaking ) technology programme , approximately eight million metric tons of CO₂ generated during steel production each year are to be cut by around 95 % by the year 2033 .
“ Climate-neutral hydrogen will have replaced the carbon required for the smelting of iron ore up to this date . To this end , Salzgitter Flachstahl ’ s three blast furnaces and converters will be gradually substituted by a combination of direct reduction plants and electric arc furnaces ,” Salzgitter explained .
The concept was developed with its partners in 2015 . It includes hydrogen generation and the conversion of steel production from blast furnaces to direct reduction , initially based on natural gas but later on hydrogen was chosen .
“ With a complete switch to direct reduction plants , hydrogen can completely replace the carbon previously required for steel production and therefore reduce our CO₂ emissions by over 95 %,” explained Salzgitter .
“ By setting ourselves the goal of avoiding CO₂ directly , rather than storing it or making it usable at great expense ( carbon direct avoidance strategy ), our concept is sustainable and sets an example for the industry ,” it concluded .
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