Direct reduction using natural gas and hydrogen – most advanced pathway to substantially reduce – and ultimately eliminate – CO2 emissions

Decarbonizing the steel industry is essential for meeting global greenhouse‑gas reduction targets, as ironmaking remains the most energy‑intensive step and the largest source of CO₂ emissions in steel production. Direct reduction using natural gas and hydrogen has emerged as the most advanced pathway to substantially reduce—and ultimately eliminate—these emissions.

Midrex Technologies, Inc., the industry leader in direct reduction, has developed solutions to enable both a gradual transition from natural gas to hydrogen (MIDREX Flex™) and a fully carbon‑neutral process using 100% hydrogen (MIDREX H2™). Because steelmakers operate under diverse technical and regional constraints, multiple decarbonization pathways are required. The inherent flexibility of the MIDREX® Process supports these tailored transitions and is already being demonstrated at industrial scale through projects such as Stegra in Sweden, ThyssenKrupp in Germany, and SHS in Germany. This presentation will also highlight ongoing work to de‑risk operation across a wide range of process conditions, providing practical guidance to accelerate the adoption of low‑carbon and hydrogen‑based ironmaking technologies. We will also introduce a brief overview of our digitalization initiative.