From Biochar to Green Steel: Delivering the Last Mile of Decarbonisation
Steelmakers need reliable, low-carbon inputs that fit today’s operations. Biochar provides that opportunity: a bio-based reductant that can directly replace fossil carbon in electric arc furnaces and other steelmaking processes without compromising production or performance. At Carbo Culture, we’re already delivering metallurgical decarbonisation and, together with our steel partners we’ve produced the first fully green steel using our biochar.
We’re excited to share a major milestone in our mission to decarbonise heavy industry. In collaboration with leading Nordic steelmakers SSAB and Ovako, Carbo Culture’s biochar successfully served as a bio-based slag foaming agent in full-scale electric arc furnace trials. In consecutive production runs, it replaced 100% of pulverised fossil coke, with all operations proceeding smoothly. The pilot was carried out in Ovako’s EAF steel plant in Imatra, Finland.
Slag foaming agents are one of the last carbon-dependent steps in steelmaking. Replacing fossil coke with a renewable carbon source is essential for truly fossil-free steel. In the recent industrial tests, our Carbolysis™ biochar delivered stable and efficient slag foaming, maintained the required furnace conditions, and produced steel that met all quality specifications.
The resulting steel was used for specialty automotive components, demonstrating real-world performance and industrial readiness.
This breakthrough shows that metallurgical applications can be decarbonised without compromising reliability or product quality. It’s a significant step toward a fully fossil-free steel value chain, as well as a concrete example of how bio-based raw materials can directly support the green transition.
More updates to come as we continue scaling this work with industry partners.
Quotes from project partners
“This is a major step toward truly fossil-free steelmaking. By replacing one of the last remaining fossil inputs, we help close the gap between ambition and real industrial decarbonisation.” – Jarmo Lilja, Process Development Manager, SSAB Europe
“Our production setup in Imatra, Finland proved ideal for testing biochar reductants for green steel, and this collaborative effort showed that fossil-free steel is technically viable.” – Ville Fomkin, Operations Engineer, Ovako Imatra Oy AB
“These results confirm what the industry has long hoped for: that biochar can replace fossil carbon one-to-one in EAF slag foaming. It proves fossil-free furnace operation is no longer theoretical, it is technically validated and ready for real deployment.” – Henrietta Moon, CEO, Carbo Culture