INITIATE presented at SETAC EUROPE 2025

On 12 May, Anne Ottenbros from our project partner Radboud University presented the INITIATE project during a presentation session at the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) 35th Annual Meeting.

Anne’s presentation explored innovative pathways to defossilise the steel industry, focusing on three advanced carbon capture and utilisation (CCU) and carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies – our project INITIATE, as well as DISPLACE and CASOH. The talk assessed their environmental impact and potential for large-scale deployment. Each technology captures CO₂ from residual steel gases through distinct mechanisms, including sorption-enhanced water gas shift, high-temperature displacement, and calcium looping. These processes enable carbon storage and generate valuable by-products such as hydrogen and urea. A life cycle assessment (LCA) approach was applied to compare the technologies with conventional and amine-based carbon capture systems.

The findings showed that these emerging solutions could significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions in steel production, with climate impact reductions of up to 87% under favourable energy scenarios. INITIATE and CASOH, when combined with DISPLACE, demonstrated the most promising results, particularly when powered by low-carbon electricity. The study underscored the importance of strategic technology implementation and clean energy to maximise environmental benefits. In addition to helping defossilise the steel sector, these technologies also support wider sustainability goals in the chemical and energy industries through carbon removal and resource recovery.

SETAC Europe is a leading conference in environmental toxicology and chemistry, drawing over 2,600 professionals and students from across the globe. It provides an important platform to share cutting-edge research, build international networks, and collaborate on improving environmental quality through science.

Find out more about Anne’s abstract on the LCA preliminary results here.