Future in Steel: Towards Zero Waste in Sustainable Low-CO₂ Steelmaking
The TransZeroWaste Podcast Series — “Future in Steel: Towards Zero Waste in Sustainable Low-CO₂ Steelmaking” — explores one of the most important industrial transitions of our time: the transformation of the steel industry towards low-carbon production and circular resource use.
Hosted by Themis Sarantaenas (AMS), the series brings together experts from leading research institutes, industry partners and innovation projects across Europe to discuss the technological, environmental and economic challenges shaping the future of steel.
Across the episodes, listeners will discover:
• How the steel industry is transitioning toward low-CO₂ production routes
• Why traditional recycling loops are changing and what this means for waste and by-products
• How new technologies — such as pelletising, hydrometallurgical treatment and microwave processing — can help recover valuable materials
• How tools like Material Flow Analysis (MFA), Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Life Cycle Costing (LCC) support better environmental and economic decision-making
• How collaboration between industry, research and policy is enabling the shift toward a circular, zero-waste steel industry
Each episode features conversations with experts from organisations involved in the TransZeroWaste project, offering insights into real technological developments, pilot plants and innovations that aim to reduce landfill, recover critical raw materials and support sustainable steelmaking in Europe.
The series highlights not only the challenges of decarbonising steel production, but also the opportunities for innovation, circularity and industrial leadership in Europe’s transition toward climate-neutral industry.
Episode 1
TransZeroWaste Podcast 1
“The Sustainable Shift in Steelmaking – Why It Matters”
In this first episode, Delphine Snaet from ESTEP explains why the steel industry is undergoing one of the biggest transformations in its history. We discuss the shift from traditional carbon-based steelmaking to new low-CO₂ technologies, the growing challenges around raw materials and recycling, and how TransZeroWaste is helping develop innovative solutions for a more sustainable and circular future in steel production.
Episode 2
TransZeroWaste Podcast 2
“What Happens to the Waste in Low-CO₂ steel?”
In this episode, Susanne Bethlehem-Seidel from Dillinger explains how the transition to low-CO₂ steel production is disrupting the traditional recycling loops used in the steel industry. We discuss why iron-rich by-products can no longer be recycled in the same way, why landfill is not a sustainable solution, and how projects like TransZeroWaste are developing new circular pathways for the future of steelmaking.
Episode 3
TransZeroWaste Podcast 3
“The Circular Economy of Steel”
In this episode, Tiago Silva from ISQ explores what circular economy really means in the steel industry beyond simple scrap recycling. The discussion focuses on the technical, environmental, and regulatory barriers that still limit circularity, and how innovation, collaboration, and projects like TransZeroWaste can help transform industrial waste into valuable resources.
Episode 4
TransZeroWaste Podcast 4
“Closing the gaps towards Zero Waste”
In this episode, Gerald Stubbe from BFI explains the scale and complexity of iron-containing by-products generated in European steel production and why new low-CO₂ steel routes are creating major recycling challenges. We discuss the technical, economic, and regulatory barriers that still limit reuse, as well as the innovative technologies being developed through TransZeroWaste to help close these gaps and support a truly circular steel industry.
Episode 5
TransZeroWaste Podcast 5
“Sustainable electrical production for low-CO₂ steel”
In this episode, Angel Lopez from CEINNMAT explains how microwave technology could support the future recycling of iron-bearing by-products in low-CO₂ steel production. We discuss the challenges of transforming a highly complex scientific process into an industrial solution, the progress achieved so far within TransZeroWaste, and the potential of electrified technologies to create cleaner and more efficient recycling pathways for the steel industry.
Episode 6
TransZeroWaste Podcast 6
“Environmental Benefits”
In this episode, Sébastien Zinck from Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology explains the environmental differences between traditional steel production and emerging low-CO₂ steel routes. We discuss how Life Cycle Assessment helps evaluate the true environmental footprint of steelmaking, the hidden challenges behind green steel, and how TransZeroWaste is developing technologies and digital tools to support a more circular and sustainable steel industry.
