[Paladin2]

Now, if “they” would just stop burning tires [Ms. Walz nose not withstanding] to make cement....

[crusty old prospector]

Instead of relying on high-temperature, fossil-fueled furnaces, this emerging method uses electricity to extract pure iron from iron oxide at much lower temperatures and with significantly fewer emissions.

So, like all the electric car nitwits, they get their electricity from the Voltage Fairy.

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

this emerging method uses electricity

Which I presume comes from fairies dancing in the woods.

[Paladin2]

"while also producing chlorine, a commercially valuable but " extremely toxic to life byproduct."

[LegendHasIt]

And I supposed that the electricity makes this process work at all comes only from solar panels and windmills.

And they will just grow the beams, sheet metal panels nuts and bolts etc in electrochemical molds.

[Carry_Okie]

I wonder if it would work on slag heaps.

[catnipman]

converting iron ore into sponge iron via one of the direct reduced iron methods has gone into production worldwide, being more energy efficient than blast furnaces ...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct_reduced_iron

[Attention Surplus Disorder]

Yesbut...this process produces iron, not steel. Iron, obviously the main component of steel, is fairly useless unless and until it is converted to steel. It has nothing like the strength of steel. The process, or I should say, the several processes for converting iron to steel, requires the steel to be brought to above its melting point and blasting oxygen through it. Naturally this could be done with wind generators/s.

Converting iron to steel also involves the introduction of various other metals, manganese, chromium, nickel, etc; to create alloys with various desirable characteristics. For this to occur, the metals have to be liquified.

So even though iron could be produced electrolytically, steel can not, not to mention all the alloys that make life itself© possible.

[Jonty30]

Get back to me when they’ve figured out how to mix a bit of chlorine and iron together to rust proof them

[Spacetrucker]

The only way I can see this being commercially viable is if they mass-produce SMR’s. Then we might be talkin’ business.

[sauropod]

bkmk

[JimRed]

Instead of relying on high-temperature, fossil-fueled furnaces, this emerging method uses electricity to extract pure iron from iron oxide at much lower temperatures and with significantly fewer emissions.

The Devil is in the details. The electricity has to be generated as cleanly as the iron is smelted. That means hydroelectric or nuclear. One is not widely available; the other is opposed by too many morons.

[Lazamataz]

Was the inventor named Hank Rearden?