Electra, a Colorado-based tech company, has announced a purchase agreement with Meta to help reduce its supply chain's carbon footprint. Electra produces low-carbon iron using an electrochemical process powered by renewables.
By purchasing environmental attribute certificates linked to the iron created through Electra's process, Meta will help meet its net-zero 2030 goals and support the development of clean iron for data center construction, as Canary Media reported.
Tech giants and automakers both require substantial amounts of steel to construct data centers and vehicles. Unfortunately, steel production is one of the most carbon-intensive industrial processes, responsible for up to 9% of global carbon pollution. The majority of pollution originates from the traditional blast furnace process, which utilizes coal to heat iron ore, releasing large amounts of carbon dioxide.
However, Electra's process is designed to avoid this pollution entirely by utilizing electrochemical devices to convert iron ore — the primary ingredient in steel — into 99% pure iron, with the sole byproduct being pure oxygen. The method is known as "electrowinning," according to Canary Media, and it's already been proven to remove impurities from zinc, nickel, and copper. Electra recently unveiled a new demo plant in Colorado and expects it will start producing clean iron using the technique by mid-2026.
"We're reinventing how iron has been made for centuries through an electrified process," Sandeep Nijhawan, the startup's cofounder and CEO, told the news outlet.
The plant is set to produce up to 500 metric tons of iron a year, which is a small amount compared to the iron manufactured using traditional methods. However, as the process is scaled up, Electra expects it to reach commercial viability by the end of the decade, with the goal of "producing millions of tons of clean iron," as Nijhawan told Recycling Today.
As Canary explained, the company launched in 2020 with a mission to utilize chemistry and renewable energy to produce iron rather than relying on dirty fuels. The startup has two pilot plants located at its headquarters in Boulder, Colorado. It is now seeking land to build its first commercial-scale facility, with the goal of making it operational by 2029.
In addition to Meta, Electra has also secured funding from Nucor and Toyota Tsusho America, which supply steel to carmakers. So far this year, it has raised $186 million from several investors, with the funding going toward the new demo project.
In addition to being more eco-friendly than conventional methods, the electrochemical process offers several other benefits. For one, it can utilize iron ores from older mines that typically contain more impurities, making the technique more cost-effective. It also uses significantly less energy since it doesn't require constant heat, allowing Electra to easily boost production when wind and solar are most abundant.
Steel manufacturing is "definitely in this phase where the [green steel] transition and meeting climate goals looks a lot more difficult today," Nijhawan told Canary. However, he's staying optimistic. "I believe the solutions are in hand, and it's a matter of scaling to drive those economics as fast as we can."
TCD Picks » Upway Spotlight
💡Upway makes it easy to find discounts of up to 60% on premium e-bike brands
|
Would you trust a home made of previously used concrete? Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. |
Definitely 👍 
💰Get TCD's free newsletters for easy tips to save more, waste less, and make smarter choices — and earn up to $5,000 toward clean upgrades in TCD's exclusive Rewards Club.
Cool Picks
