Hycamite joins FutSteel project to use hydrogen and carbon in steelmaking

Hycamite, a producer of emission-free hydrogen and carbon materials, has joined the FutSteel research project led by the University of Oulu and SSAB. The 17 million euro project aims to develop an electric arc furnace based steel production chain that integrates hydrogen and carbon materials directly into steelmaking. Hycamite's methane splitting technology produces hydrogen and carbon without CO2 emissions, and the company claims it uses roughly one eighth of the energy required by electrolysis for hydrogen production, with much of that energy coming from excess heat from the steel plant itself. The steel industry accounts for about 7% of global greenhouse gas emissions, so shifting from coal based blast furnaces to electric arc furnaces powered by fossil free energy is a critical step. The FutSteel project runs from June 2026 for three years and includes partners like SSAB, the University of Oulu, and several other industrial firms. Hycamite's role focuses on integrating hydrogen and carbon materials directly into steelmaking, which could lower both costs and emissions if the technology scales.