COOPHS researcher presents nanoscale investigation of low-CO₂ steel at the “From Scrap to Steel” workshop

Chaymaa Boujrouf, Postdoctoral researcher at Aix-Marseille University‘s IM2NP laboratory, presented a poster at the “From Scrap to Steel: Addressing the Challenge of Residual Elements in Recycling” workshop, held on 4 March 2026 at the Abbaye des Prémontrés in Pont-à-Mousson, France.

Boujrouf’s poster, entitled “Nanoscale investigation of residual element segregation in steels produced through low-CO₂ routes,” presented findings from her postdoctoral research conducted within the framework of the COOPHS project.

Using Atom Probe Tomography (APT), her work examines the segregation behaviour of residual elements, such as copper, tin, arsenic and phosphorus, at grain boundaries in press-hardened steels produced via the Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) route, comparing them with conventionally produced steels from the Blast Furnace–Basic Oxygen Furnace (BF–BOF) route.

Results indicate that EAF-based steels exhibit no embrittling segregation of residual elements at grain boundaries, and that their mechanical properties are fully comparable to BOF reference steels.

The workshop brought together more than 90 academic researchers and industry professionals to address the scientific, technological and economic challenges posed by residual elements in steel recycling.

IM2NP is a multidisciplinary research unit of more than 300 people at Aix-Marseille University, working at the confluence of physics, chemistry and microelectronics.

Within COOPHS, the IM2NP team uses Atom Probe Tomography to quantify segregation at prior austenitic grain boundaries and Fe/Al coating–substrate interfaces and develops multiscale models integrating element interactions to predict local residual element distributions in grain boundary vicinity. These investigations are critical for understanding how trace elements influence microstructural stability and performance in low-CO₂ Press Hardened Steels.