MIT Technology Review profiles Hertha Metals founder and CEO Dr. Laureen Meroueh and the company’s new way of making steel.
Most steel today is made in coal-fired blast furnaces, and the article notes that the industry produces about 7% of the carbon emissions behind climate change. Hertha’s furnace turns iron ore directly into refined liquid steel in a single step, using natural gas instead of coal. Many green-steel efforts depend on expensive hydrogen. Hertha chose a design that keeps costs down now, and its plant could move to a fully decarbonized system without major hardware changes once hydrogen becomes cheaper. The company says the process cuts emissions by at least half and lowers costs by 25% compared with conventional steelmaking.
Hertha is already making steel. Its pilot plant in Conroe, Texas, produces one metric ton per day. A second facility next door is designed for 10,000 metric tons of high-purity steel per year and is expected to reach full capacity by the end of 2027. The company is targeting about 500,000 metric tons per year by 2030 with a third site. Investor Khosla Ventures says Hertha has produced more steel than competitors that raised $50 million to $100 million, while Hertha has raised about $20 million