The world’s largest maker of steel is effectively looking at rabbits for help. In a move to reduce its carbon emissions, the company ArcelorMittal is planning on spending $96 million (£61.6 million) to use a microbe normally found in the gut of these mammals to turn waste carbon monoxide into ethanol that can be used as fuel. They think that around 50% of the carbon used in the steel-making process leaves the plant as carbon monoxide. Normally, this gas is either burnt off or used to heat and power the steel mill, but both result in the release of masses of carbon dioxide. As reported in the Guardian, a new process looks to use genetically modified Clostridium microbes to capture this waste carbon. According to Carl De Maré, Vice President of ArcelorMittal, “Steel is produced through a chemical process that results in high levels of waste gases being emitted, [and] this new technology will enable us to convert some of these waste gases into fuels that deliver significant environmental benefits when compared to conventional fossil fuels,” explains Maré.
