{
  "id": 5098308,
  "title": "Tadeu Carneiro Is Trying to Make Steel Sustainable",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/02/tadeu-carneiro-is-trying-to-make-steel-sustainable",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-02T13:30:35.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Time",
    "slug": "time",
    "url": "https://time.com/collection/time-trailblazers/2026/tadeu-carneiro/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Tadeu Carneiro, a metallurgical engineer, discovered a passion for metals while studying at the University of São Paulo. His fascination with the Periodic Table of Elements led him to work for nearly three decades at Brazilian metals company CBMM, a leading producer of niobium metal and alloys. In 2017, he joined Boston Metal, a Massachusetts-based company founded at MIT in 2013 with the goal of developing a more efficient and environmentally friendly method of producing steel and other metals.\n\nBoston Metal's innovative solution is called Molten Oxide Electrolysis (MOE), a technology that uses electricity to melt iron ore and separate its contents, producing pure liquid iron and eliminating impurities like magnesium, silica, and calcium. Unlike traditional steelmaking, which generates significant carbon dioxide emissions, MOE only emits oxygen. This cleaner process has the potential to eliminate nearly 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions associated with steel production.\n\nWhile other methods exist for decarbonizing steel, Boston Metal believes its MOE technology is superior due to its ability to work with all grades of iron ore. However, the technology's success hinges on using clean electricity, as any reliance on fossil fuels would negate its environmental benefits. Carneiro has confidence in renewable energy's potential, citing countries like Canada, Scandinavia, and Brazil, where clean electricity is affordable and abundant.\n\nBoston Metal's first industrial facility, set to open later in 2026, won't produce steel but will instead focus on recovering valuable metals from existing mining and metallurgical waste streams, such as niobium, tantalum, and nickel. These metals are essential for industries like electrification, AI, and defense, and their global supply remains limited. By focusing on metal recovery rather than steel production, Boston Metal aims to provide a more sustainable and cost-effective solution.\n\nInvestors have taken notice, with the company announcing $75 million in new venture capital in May 2026, bringing its total raised capital to over $500 million. This funding, combined with the metal-recovery operations it supports, will help Boston Metal demonstrate the technology's viability and competitiveness with traditional steel manufacturing methods. Carneiro remains optimistic, stating that once the technology is matured and scaled, it could become a more sustainable and cost-effective alternative to current steel production processes.",
  "summary": "The Boston Metal CEO says that its Molten Oxide Electrolysis technology is the best option for decarbonizing steel.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}