GREEN STEEL

GREEN STEEL

Decarbonize Steel Production with Efficient Green Hydrogen

Steel production accounts for 7-9% of global CO2 emissions. Hydrogen direct reduction of iron (H2-DRI) is the leading pathway to green steel, and it requires enormous volumes of low-cost electrolytic hydrogen.

Membrane Cross-Section

PSU-TiO₂-GO
OH⁻OH⁻OH⁻PSU MatrixTiO₂GO SheetsPores350-410 μm

Reduce H2 Cost for DRI

Direct reduction of iron consumes approximately 55 kg of hydrogen per tonne of DRI. IONZERA's lower electricity consumption per kg H2 directly improves the economics of H2-DRI steelmaking.

GW-Scale Membrane Supply

A single green steel plant may require hundreds of MW of electrolyser capacity. IONZERA's scalable, mesh-free manufacturing is designed to meet these large-volume membrane demands.

Reliable Continuous Output

Steel furnaces operate continuously. IONZERA's mechanical strength of 2.7 MPa and chemically stable PSU-TiO2-GO matrix support the uninterrupted electrolyser operation that steel plants demand.

The Steel Industry's Hydrogen Challenge

The global steel industry produces approximately 1.9 billion tonnes per year, with conventional blast furnace operations using coal as both a fuel and a chemical reductant. Replacing coal with green hydrogen in the direct reduction of iron (DRI) process is the most viable pathway to near-zero-emission steelmaking, but it requires vast quantities of affordable electrolytic hydrogen.

A single mid-sized green steel plant producing 2 million tonnes of steel per year could require 500 MW or more of electrolyser capacity operating at high utilization factors. The efficiency of the electrolyser membrane directly impacts whether H2-DRI steel can compete economically with conventional production.

IONZERA's Impact on Green Steel Economics

At the volumes required for steel production, small improvements in electrolyser efficiency yield large absolute cost savings:

IONZERA's 3x lower area resistance reduces the electricity cost per kg of H2, the dominant operating expense
Lower cell voltage means reduced cooling costs for the electrolyser system, simplifying balance-of-plant
Thinner membrane profile enables more compact stacks, reducing the capital cost and physical footprint per MW
Mesh-free production supports the rapid manufacturing scale-up needed for multi-GW steel decarbonization projects

Nanocomposite Structure

PSU-TiO₂-GO
OH⁻OH⁻OH⁻PSU MatrixTiO₂GO SheetsPores350-410 μm
3x

Lower Resistance

20%

Thinner Profile

Partnership with Steel Industry Stakeholders

G-Hexa is actively engaging with steel producers, electrolyser OEMs, and project developers working on H2-DRI projects across India, the Middle East, and Europe. IONZERA membranes are available for qualification testing in pilot-scale DRI hydrogen supply systems, with technical support provided throughout the evaluation and scale-up process.

India's position as the world's second-largest steel producer, combined with its ambitious National Green Hydrogen Mission, creates a natural alignment between IONZERA's manufacturing base and the steel industry's decarbonization needs.

Area Resistance

3x LOWER
Area Specific Resistance ComparisonIONZERA0.09-0.1 Ω·cm²Zirfon0.30 Ω·cm²00.10.20.3 Ω·cm²~3x Lower

Thickness

20% THINNER
Membrane Thickness ComparisonIONZERA350-410 μmZirfon500 μm500 μm scale20-30%thinnerThinner membrane = More compact stacks= Higher power density
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Contact for Steel H2 Projects