Evaluación del hidrógeno verde como estrategia de descarbonización de la industria siderúrgica europea

Abstract

The steel industry is responsible for approximately 7 % of global CO2 emissions, making it one of the priority sectors for achieving European climate neutrality objectives. In this context, green hydrogen has acquired a strategic role by offering an alternative capable of partially or fully replacing the use of fossil fuels in steel production. This master’s thesis analyzes the potential of hydrogen as a tool for the decarbonization of the steel industry through a review of scientific literature and a multicriteria analysis based on the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). First, the properties of hydrogen, its value chain, and the main steel manufacturing routes are examined. Subsequently, the two main strategies for integrating hydrogen are evaluated: its use as a reducing agent in direct reduction iron processes (H2-DRI) and its employment as a thermal fuel in auxiliary steelmaking operations. The analysis incorporates environmental, technological, and economic criteria, considering emission reduction potential, degree of technological maturity, implementation costs, and the European regulatory context. The results obtained using the AHP method show that the combined strategy, based on the use of hydrogen both as a reducing agent and as a thermal fuel, constitutes the alternative with the greatest potential for advancing towards low-emission steel production. However, the study highlights that the widespread implementation of hydrogen is still subject to significant challenges, including high production costs, the need to increase renewable electricity generation capacity, the development of storage and transport infrastructure, and the consolidation of a regulatory framework that incentivizes industrial investment. Overall, the findings demonstrate that hydrogen does not represent a standalone solution, but rather a strategic element within a broader transformation process that combines technological innovation, electrification, renewable energy, and industrial policies aimed at climate neutrality.