Circular steel for mass market applications.
CiSMA introduces scrap-based Electric Arc Furnace steel products into mass-market sheet metal consumer goods with high-quality requirements.
Scrap-based steel production using Electric Arc Furnace leads to drastic reduction of CO2 emissions. It also favours a Circular Economy production model with reduced foreign dependency. However, this is currently not possible for high-performance applications, where the less flexible and more contaminant Blast Furnace- Basic Oxygen Furnace route is used. Moreover, low-quality scrap also affects the final performance of the steel.
In that sense, CiSMA works to generate fundamental knowledge on how residual elements interact with sheet Steel metallurgy and its performance. This will be done by combining state-of-the-art methodologies with specialised resources, such as Synchrotron and Atom Probe Tomography.
To maximise the use of low-quality scrap as a raw material and improve its quality, CiSMA also uses techniques that separate undesired inclusions from the main stream of steel.
Finally, a toolbox of technologies are developed to introduce recycled sheet metal in the industry, including fast characterisation tests for quality control, online test methodologies that can be applied in the press floor, and Machine Learning-enhanced tools that allow adapting production processes to feedstock with high variability.
These developments will be showcased in pilot trials applying four steel compositions into two mass-market use cases: automotive and washing machines. These trials will ensure that the material and production route developed can be readily accepted by the market, demonstrate the developed toolset, and quantify the environmental improvements achieved.
Eurecat coordinates the CISMA project through the Metallic and Ceramic Materials Unit, which participates in the metallurgy and material performance studies. The initiative also involves the centre’s Communication and Consultancy Departments, which work to disseminate the results to the public and industry.
The CISMA consortium is formed by 12 partners from five European countries.
General details
Project
CiSMA – Circular Steel for Mass Market Applications
Project reference
101177798
Programme and call for tender
Project funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe programme under the call HORIZON-CL4-2024-TWIN-TRANSITION-01-46 – CO2-neutral steel production with hydrogen, secondary carbon carriers and electricity OR innovative steel applications for low CO2 emissions (Clean Steel Partnership) (RIA)
Related ODS
9. Industry, innovation and infrastructure
12. Responsible consumption and production
17. Partnerships for the goals