Steel for Sustainable Future Technologies

Oct. 22, 2020

Steel produced in an environmentally-friendly manner for sustainable future technologies: Deutsche Edelstahlwerke is accelerating the development of its steel solutions for applications such as electric mobility, wind power, and fuel cells. Swiss Steel Group summarizes special steels for these ecologically pioneering applications under the slogan "Blue Steel". The materials are highly resilient, resistant to challenging external influences and highly efficient.

 

Produced as "Green Steel" and as "Blue Steel" in use—this is how Deutsche Edelstahlwerke (DEW) designs its steel solutions along the entire process chain in a resource-friendly and future-oriented manner. This starts with the selection of steel scrap and the production of the already sustainable recycling material steel: using 100% renewable energy, DEW produces its Green Steel exclusively in an electric arc furnace. This produces one ton of crude steel with Co2 emissions of only 107 kg. The global average per ton of steel produced is 1,850 kg of CO2. But it doesn't stop there: with its Blue Steel portfolio, DEW is promoting the use of eco-friendly steels for sustainable technologies.

 

Blue Steel H2, wind and mobility

Blue Steel is an indispensable material for the production, transport and storage of hydrogen. Components such as pipes, tubes, nozzles and injection systems in fuel cells come into direct contact with hydrogen and must be suitably resistant. Rust, acid and heat-resistant steels with high nickel contents are particularly suitable for this purpose. In addition to austenitic steels, DEW also has special steels such as Acidur 4435 in its Blue Steel portfolio.

 

High wear and fatigue resistance, high toughness and homogeneity: Blue Steel is also used in wind turbines. This is because the gears, bearings and mounting elements for the rotor blades have to withstand high speeds under full load and abrupt stress from gusts. DEW offers the heat-treated steel Carbodur 6587 for rings, drive components and gearbox parts, and the higher alloyed rolling bearing steel Durapur 3520 for bearings. 

 

With a view to new mobility concepts such as e-mobility, the automotive industry is increasingly demanding high-performance materials—they must be both robust and lightweight. DEW's alloy design and hot forming and heat treatment processes simultaneously optimize the toughness and strength of its steels. Blue Steel for the mobility sector is pure, homogeneous in its mechanical properties and therefore efficient with a high level of process reliability. DEW's portfolio includes Bainidur steels and the high aluminium alloyed Aludur with low density.