£35m Research Network Set Up To Transform Steel Sector

£35m Research Network Set Up To Transform Steel Sector

The University of Sheffield has announced that it will be part of the new £35 million SUSTAIN research network, led by Swansea University and the University of Warwick, in a bid to transform the country’s steel sector.

The project, which intends to help deliver a smart, green and clean steel industry, is being supported by a £10 million investment from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, forming one of their Future Manufacturing Research Hubs.

Work is set to be concentrated on two areas – zero waste iron and steelmaking, and smart steel processing. The former intends to ensure the sector is carbon neutral come the year 2040, investigating new ways of making processes and products greener, such as capturing carbon emissions and harvesting untapped energy sources.

And the latter will see new ways of acquiring and using the data that arises as a result of the steelmaking process, using it in new metallurgical processes to deliver bespoke high tech products.

Mark Rainforth of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering said: “Steel is fundamental to every aspect of society. Developing higher performance steels with reduced carbon footprint during manufacture is key to reducing CO2 emissions and therefore contributing to the reduction in global warming. This grant brings together all the UK experts in steel to address this critical issue.”

It seems this may be a vital step, since it’s now being said that a no-deal Brexit (which is looking increasingly likely as time goes on) is risking the future of the industry in Scotland thanks to tariffs, border delays and extra paperwork.

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