A look back at the "From Scrap to Steel" workshop

A look back at the “From Scrap to Steel” workshop

Publié le

20 March 2026

On 4 March 2026, more than 90 researchers and industry representatives gathered at the Abbaye des Prémontrés to take part in a workshop focusing on the challenges posed by residual elements in steel recycling.

A key driver for decarbonisation, but major challenges

Against a backdrop where the European steel industry is aiming for a significant reduction in its CO₂ emissions by 2050, increasing the use of recycled scrap in electric arc furnaces appears to be a key driver of decarbonisation. However, this transition faces major obstacles: the presence of residual elements such as copper or tin in scrap metal complicates the control of the properties of the steels produced. These challenges raise scientific, technological and economic questions, ranging from the management of impurities and changes in the quality of scrap deposits to issues of sovereignty linked to access to high-quality recycled resources.

Interdisciplinary approaches to gain a better understanding

Co-organised by PEPR DIADEM, the National Metallurgy Network (RNM) of the French Society of Metallurgy and Materials (SF2M) and the partners of the OPTISCRAPS project, this workshop provided an opportunity to bring together experimental approaches, modelling, thermodynamics and industrial perspectives. The discussions helped to improve understanding of the mechanisms at play and to identify ways to anticipate and manage the impact of residual elements in recycling processes.

Drawing on international expertise

A number of international experts shared their insights, including: Katrin Daehn, Manon Rolland, A. Nicholas Grundy, Frédéric Christien, Philippe Maugis, Philippe Russo et Neill McDonald.

A key objective of the DIADEM PEPR

These discussions fully illustrate the ambition of the PEPR DIADEM: to bring together experimental, digital and data-driven approaches in a complementary manner in order to accelerate our understanding and optimisation of the materials at the heart of major industrial transitions.

The PEPR DIADEM would like to extend its warmest thanks to all the speakers and participants for the quality of the discussions and their commitment to this collective endeavour.